Adventist Review August 2016

ADVENTISTREVIEW.
ORG
JULY 2016: MAKING SABBATH A DELIGHT + THE PACKAGE

+ SATURDAY MORNING SPELLING BEE + LETS
CELEBRATE AIR + COUNTDOWN TO SABBATH
+ I AM NOT AFRAID
SABBATH IS A _____ DAY.
Photo of Maligne Lake in Alberta, Canada, by Adam Littell.
07/16
Each month well feature a reader-submitted photo or painting. Submission

guidelines and info can be found at www.adventistreview.org
VOLUME 193
NUMBER 07
FEATURES
DISC O V E R
19
19
24/7 | GERALD A. KLINGBEIL

How to observe the Sabbath in a world
without an off switch
C O NNEC T
35
35
MAKING SABBATH A HAPPY DAY

Its a day to anticipate, not dread.
| MAY ELLEN COLN
ENG AG E
45 COUNTDOWN TO SABBATH | JAZZMIN PRIDE
Looking forward to 24 hours of what?
45
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
For millennia, rabbis, pastors, parents, children,

and many others have mulled over similar
questions. What does keeping the Sabbath holy
really encompass?
20
ARTICLES
DISCOVER
CONNECT
ENGAGE
26 THE POWER OF
CULTURE AND/OR THE
CULTURE OF POWER
42 A TOKEN OF CHRISTS
LOVE AND POWER
48 MAKING SABBATH A DELIGHT

LINDA MEI LIN KOH
Our children will love the

Sabbath if they rst love
Jesus.
ELLEN G. WHITE
THOMAS LEMON
Selessness is the economy

of heaven. But we arent in
heaven, are we?
30 SMARTPHONE CHURCH
MANNERS
KIMBERLY LUSTE MARAN
Does our technology need to

rest on Sabbath as well?
32 LETS CELEBRATE AIR
PETER N. LANDLESS
Breathing: the life-giving

miracle we do without
thinking
The Sabbath isnt just a day;

its a symbol of eternity
past, present, and future.
52 ATHLETES AND
SABBATHKEEPERS
When Sabbath and athletics
collide, its no contest for
these competitors.
55 TEENIE FINLEYS FALAFELS
AND STRAWBERRY PIE
Eating well and
being healthy too
56 SATURDAY MORNING
SPELLING BEE
LESTER RAMSEY
Obedience: O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E,
obedience
35
NEWS|OPINION
Alabama Church Gives Away Cars
Magic Johnson Thanks
Adventists With $550,000
Loma Linda Breaks Ground

on New Hospital
Adventists Rethink
Religious Freedom
Fred Thomas, Pastor
and Administrator, Dies
Ted Wilsons First
Visit to Cambodia
58 I SKIPPED SABBATH
CLASSES IN RUSSIA
KAPALASA KASEMPA
The professors werent happy,

but God was pleased.
EDITORIAL
5 BILL KNOTT
REPAIRERS OF THE BREACH
D E PA R TM E N T S
6
40
44
62
LETTERS
I WAS WONDERING
HOUSE CALL
CLOSER LOOK
COLUMNS
25 CLIFFS EDGE
CLIFFORD GOLDSTEIN
43 SEARCHING THE OBVIOUS

DIXIL RODRGUEZ
51 THE LIFE OF FAITH

ANDY NASH
64 IN OTHER WORDS
STEPHEN CHAVEZ
2
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
TRENDING
PUBLISHED BY THE GENERAL CONFERENCE
OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS SINCE 1849
EXECUTIVE PUBLISHER Bill Knott
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
PUBLISHING BOARD
Ted N. C. Wilson, chair
Guillermo Biaggi, vice chair
Bill Knott, secretary
Lisa Beardsley-Hardy, Williams Costa, Daniel R.
Jackson, Peter Landless, Robert Lemon, Geoffrey
Mbwana, G. T. Ng, Daisy Orion, Juan Prestol-Puesn,
Ella Simmons, Artur Stele, Ray Wahlen
Karnik Doukmetzian, legal advisor
EXECUTIVE EDITOR/DIRECTOR OF ADVENTIST
REVIEW MINISTRIES Bill Knott
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, ADVENTIST REVIEW
MINISTRIES
ASSOCIATE EDITORS Andr Brink,
Lael Caesar, Gerald A. Klingbeil
NEWS EDITOR Andrew McChesney
ASSISTANT EDITORS Sandra Blackmer, Stephen
Chavez, Wilona Karimabadi
MARKETING/STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Jared Thurmon
DIGITAL EDITOR Kristina Penny
ART DIRECTOR/DESIGNER Bryan Gray
LAYOUT TECHNICIAN Fred Wuerstlin
COPY EDITOR James Cavil
OPERATIONS MANAGER Merle Poirier
FINANCIAL MANAGER Kimberly Brown
EDITORIAL ASSESSMENT COORDINATOR
Marvene Thorpe-Baptiste
EDITORS-AT-LARGE Mark A. Finley, John M. Fowler
SENIOR ADVISOR E. Edward Zinke
AD SALES Glen Gohlke
CIRCULATION Rebecca Hilde
TO WRITERS: Writers guidelines are available at the
Adventist Review Web site: www.adventistreview.org
and click About the Review. For a printed copy,
send a self-addressed envelope to: Writers
Guidelines, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia
Pike, Silver Spring, MD 20904.
E-mail: revieweditor@gc.adventist.org.
Web site: www.adventistreview.org.
Unless otherwise noted, Bible texts in this issue
are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.
Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Unless otherwise noted, all prominent photos are
Thinkstock 2015.
The Adventist Review (ISSN 0161-1119) is the general
paper of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It is
published monthly by the General Conference of
Seventh-day Adventists, 12501 Old Columbia Pike,
Silver Spring, MD 20904. Periodicals postage paid
at Silver Spring, MD, and additional mailing ofces.
Postmaster: Send address changes to Adventist
Review, P.O. Box 5353, Nampa, ID 83653-5353.
Copyright 2016, General Conference of Seventhday Adventists. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.
SUBSCRIPTIONS: Twelve issues of the monthly
Adventist Review, US$26.95 plus additional postage
outside North America. Single copy US$5.00.
To order, visit adventistreview.org/subscriptions
or send your name, address, and payment to:
Adventist Review subscription desk, P.O. Box 5353,
Nampa, ID 83653-5353
ADDRESS CHANGES
AND SUBSCRIPTION QUERIES:
adventistreview@pacicpress.com.
OR call 1-800-447-7377 or 208-465-2548.
THE MOST-SHARED STORIES ON ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG:
1
2
3
4
5
Magic Johnson Shows Gratitude to

Adventists With $550,000 Donation
Nearly 30,000 Baptized
Halfway Through Rwandas
Evangelistic Meetings
Record 95,890 Baptized as Evangelistic
Meetings End in Rwanda
Adventist Church Concerned by
U.S. Religious Freedom Report
I Didnt Want to Preach to Killers
of My People in Rwanda
WHAT DO YOU THINK?

The following question was part of a recent study which
surveyed opinions about the importance of a day of rest.
See page 50 for more study results.
11%
25%
To what
extent do you
agree or disagree with the
following statement:
Public and private organizations
should try to accommodate
individuals who want to observe
a day of rest according to their
religious convictions, even when
it is inconvenient for the
organization to do so?
12%
23%
29%
STRONGLY AGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
NEITHER AGREE OR DISAGREE
SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
STRONGLY DISAGREE
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
School of Graduate and Professional Studies
mindful
of my needs
Alisa Andrade, Graduate

Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA)
The flexible program and accelerated
class schedule is helping me to earn
my degree faster, while the on-site
university counseling center offers
opportunities for real-world experience
under the supervision of skilled
licensed clinical counselors.
Offering accelerated evening degree
programs, including:
Counseling Psychology (MA)
Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MA)
Counseling Psychology (BS)
Washington Adventist University is currently one of only two schools in the state
of Maryland that prepares students for the licensure exam in drug and alcohol
counseling. The universitys on-site Community Counseling Center specializes in
drug and alcohol addictions, behavioral addictions and mental health issues.
Fast Track Applications Apply Now!

WASHINGTON ADVENTIST UNIVERSITY
7600 Flower Avenue | Takoma Park, Maryland 20912
301-891-4092 | www.wau.edu
EDITORIAL
BILL KNOTT
Repairers of the Breach

or everyone who opens Scripture, moments come when
familiar words suddenly
acquire new meaningwhen the
magnied, monocular view weve
had of one text widens to a panorama, showing us a landscape we
never knew was there.
I remember such an Aha!
moment on the day I rst read all
of Isaiah 58.
Like most born-and-bred
Adventists marching through Sabbath School and church-run elementary classrooms, I had
memorized the thirteenth verse:
If thou turn away thy foot from
the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure
on my holy day; and call the sabbath
a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not
doing thine own ways, nor nding
thine own pleasure, nor speaking
thine own words . . .
It was a go to Bible text that
shaped our understanding of how
to keep the Sabbathor mostly,
how not to keep it. The unmistakable emphasis of our Bible classes
and baptismal preparation was on
things we should avoid each Sabbath, and verse 13 was linchpin to
the case.
For all we knew, Sabbath was a
great negationand a great uncertainty. If I found pleasure in a Sabbath nap, was this a breaking of
the fourth commandment? Must
Sabbath always cut against the
grain, an irritant to harmless joys
available six days a week? What
denition of delight included
only solemn sermons, uncomfort-
able dress shoes, and (quietly)

fighting with your brother for
elbow space in the pew?
In my rst 12 years of Adventist
education, no one ever asked me
to read the rst seven eighths of
Isaiah 58.
And when I didwhen I read
all of the wordsI found that what
God cared about was vastly different from whether my brother
caught me mindlessly humming
a tune that wasnt a Sabbath
song. God caredGod cares
about the way I treat the homeless
and the helpless every dayand
isnt much impressed when I temporarily deny myself some pleasure, thinking that will make Him
smile. He looks for faithfulness in
brothering the hungry and protecting the mistreated at all times
far more than my fastidiousness
in keeping one dusk-to-dusk
segment.
True Sabbathkeeping, according to the whole of what Isaiah
wrote, is seven-days-a-week
religion. This is the Word that brilliantly unites Exodus 20 and
Matthew 25, reminding us that
keeping Sabbath holy must
include keeping faith with the
unwhole and oppressed. The
Remember of the Sabbath commandment nds its great echo in
the self-forgetfulness of those
whom Jesus calls His sheep on
judgment day:
Lord, when was it that we saw
you hungry and gave you food, or
thirsty and gave you something to
drink? And when was it that we saw
Keeping Sabbath holy must

include keeping faith with the
unwhole and oppressed.
you a stranger and welcomed you,

or naked and gave you clothing? And
when was it that we saw you sick or
in prison and visited you? (Matt
25:37-38, NRSV).1
This is historic, essential Adventist Christianity, the kind that honors Jesus every day of every week.
Sabbathkeeping is no moreand
no lesssignicant than our keeping of our Lords command to
Share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into
your house; when you see the naked,
to cover him (Isaiah 58:7, NRSV).
One hundred twenty-ve years
ago, Ellen White wrote in this journal, Look about you, and see if
there is not a work which the Lord
has given you. The 58th chapter
of Isaiah presents before you a
work that has been neglected. . .
The Bible means just what it says.
The blessings are distinctly apportioned to those who are Christlike, whose hearts are touched
with human woe, and who realize
that they are trading with their
Lords money.2
The breach we Adventists are
called to repair (Isa 58:12) isnt
only the injury done to Gods law,
but the injuries still happening to
the least of these.
Protect the Sabbath. Protect the
hurting.
Against such there is no law
(Gal 5:23).
1
Bible texts credited to NRSV are from the
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible,
copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian
Education of the National Council of the
Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by
permission.
2
Ellen G. White, Advent Review and Sabbath
Herald, August 11, 1891.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
INBOX
It is important that we have
our beliefs based on Christ, the
solid rock of truth.
NATALIE DODD, CENTERVILLE, OHIO
PSALM 23 AN UPLIFT
I have been a subscriber for many years and look
forward to receiving the Review each month. I love the
Psalm 23 story by Nancy Vhymeister in Mays issue.
Psalm 23 is one of my favorite Bible uplifts! I have a
paraphrase of it that I love, and I keep a copy in my
Bible to give away from time to time to someone I
suspect may need it.
Chuck Wilkerson
Prairie, Washington
MEMORIES
I was dismayed to read (May
2016), that Robert Kyte has
announced his retirement from
the Seventh-day Adventist
Church. I prefer to believe he
has retired from Adventist Risk
6
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
Management, but will remain a

church member for the rest of
his life.
In that same issue I was
deeply saddened to read of the
passing of Larry Caviness. In the
summer of 1971, when he turned

30 and I was 21, he hired me as
head boys counselor and
miniature rocketry instructor at
Camp Cherokee in upstate New
York. When a murderer escaped
from prison and raised panic
throughout the Adirondacks,
Larry and his wife, Linda, knelt
with the counselors in a secret
prayer meeting in the dining
room and pleaded with God to
campers. God did so;
protect our ca
was apprehended by
the convict w
state troopers
trooper one mile from the
thrilled to know that
camp. Im thr
Larry remained
remaine a prayer warrior
to the end.
Strayer
Brian Stray
Springs, Michigan
Berrien Spr
TIME TO LOSE
NO TIM
N
Thiss iis regarding the
Th
Thi
article Lets Celebrate
artic
Allan R.
the Environment,
E viron
En
Han
andys
dyside
id s (A
Handysides
(April 2016). We have
greatl
gre
atlyy impr
iimproved
m o
greatly
taking care of
our pl
planet
plane
anet wi
with much more work
ahead to do, but all the reports
ahe
and problems on a global scale
attached to h
humans can
generate all kinds
k
of reports.
Whos to know for sure?
The judgments of God are in
the land. The destruction by re
and ood says clearly that the
time of trouble, which is to
increase until the end, is very
near at hand. Natural disasters
We have greatly improved taking care of our

planet with much more work ahead to do.
ROBERT ROUILLARD, LAKEWOOD, WASHINGTON
are on the increase. Could it be

a warning that global changes
might be a roll call, and, as it
says in the Word of God, that
all these things must come to
pass, but the end is not yet
(Matt. 24:6, NKJV)?*
Signs of the times are
unpopular these days. But as we
continue to take care of our
planet, lets keep this all in mind.
There is no time to lose. Jesus is
coming soon.
Robert Rouillard
Lakewood, Washington
SERIOUS READING
The March 2016 Adventist Review
is serious reading. Various
articles call our attention to the
fact that Planet Earth is winding
down. While we do not know the
day or hour of Christs return,
events in nature, governments,
society, and religion are showing
signs.
Many people are now
experiencing a time of trouble as
new reports tell of thousands
eeing certain countries. It is
important that we have our
beliefs based on Christ, the solid
rock of truth. Our mission is to
daily seek Gods guidance in
reaching out and sharing the
good news of Christs second
coming.
Natalie Dodd
Centerville, Ohio
IN A FEW WORDS . . .
GOOSEFLESH
Thank you for printing the letter from Althea Roderick in the
February issue. I thought I must be the only person who gets
gooseesh from handling the Review. I am relieved to know there
are others.
Betty Ora, via e-mail
STORM WARNINGS
A huge thank-you to Bill Knott and Jared Thurmon for that
fabulous article, Storm Warnings (March 2016). It hit home to me
so perfectly, I appreciated it to the max! God bless us and keep us
faithful, with eyes wide open.
Ronna Pond, via e-mail
FAITHFUL READER
After 63 years in Canada and a faithful reader of the Review, I have
to give up my subscription to myself and my son for the color-oncolor print. My old eyes can read only white-on-black. But of
course, you have very few subscribers over the age of 90!
Maime Veedler, Ontario, Canada
Editors note: Audio podcasts of the Adventist Review will be
available soon at www.adventistreview.org.
*Bible texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982
by Thomas Nelson. Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
YOUR TURN
We welcome your letters, noting, as always, that inclusion of a letter in this

section does not imply that the ideas expressed are endorsed by either the
editors of the Adventist Review or the General Conference. Short, specic,
timely letters have the best chance at being published (please include your
complete address and phone numbereven with e-mail messages). Letters
will be edited for space and clarity only. Send correspondence to Letters
to the Editor, Adventist Review, 12501 Old Columbia Pike, Silver Spring, MD
20904-6600; Internet: letters@adventistreview.org.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
LATEST NEWS AT ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG
EVANGELIST C. D. BROOKS SUCCUMBS TO CANCER

ADVENTISTS DEFEND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN SOUTH AMERICA
DRUG USER HEARS VOICE: READ THE BIBLE
YOUR BEST PATHWAY TO HEALTH GOES TO WEST VIRGINIA
NEWS
Pastor Debleaire Snell presenting the rst car to Lori Murray
at First Church in Huntsville,
Alabama. PHOTO: KIMBERLIE LANGFORD
relevant and fresh way. Huntsville
Seventh-day Adventist church

in Alabama has presented two
cars as gifts to single parents, and
expects to give away ve more vehicles by years end.
The car giveaway at the First Seventh-day Adventist Church in Huntsville may be the rst initiative of
its kind by an Adventist church to
pastor Debleaire Snell called her

onto the platform to announce that
she was the rst recipient of a donated vehicle, a 2010 Toyota Prius.
Amen to this great ministry and
your church, Murray later wrote on
the churchs Facebook page. The
car is truly a blessing to me and my
children. May God bless you with
has a population of about 180,000,

and is home to Oakwood University,
a historically Black university owned
by the Adventist Church.
In late 2015 Snell felt impressed
to help address the challenges that
single parents sometimes face with
transportation. So he appealed to
the congregation of nearly 2,000
members to consider donating cars
that could benet deserving single
parents.
Snell didnt ask for just a car in
any condition, the church said in
an e-mailed statement. He asked
for cars that were in respectable
condition and ready to assist a family immediately with reliable
transportation.
Shortly after the appeal was
made, members donated the 2010
Toyota Prius and a 2007 Honda Odyssey minivan. So instead of giving
away one vehicle as planned, First
church gave away two. It was a surprise to many in attendance because the receipt of the second vehicle had not been made public.
reach out to the community. It made

two single mothers very happy.
Lori Murray, a single mother of
two, threw up her hands in surprise
and joy when First church senior
vehicles to continue to do His works.

Snell came up with the car giveaway after puzzling for nearly a year
about what First church could do
to inuence Huntsville in a more
TeeAdrienne Ross, a single mother

of seven, was presented with keys
to the minivan.
The car giveaway won praise from
Roger Hernandez, ministerial and
ALABAMA CHURCH
GIVES AWAY CARS
FIRST CHURCH SEEKS NEW WAYS TO CARE

BY ANDREW MC CHESNEY, WITH DAWNA SWINTON BAKER
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
NEWS
evangelism director for the Adventist Churchs Southern Union Conference, whose territory includes
Alabama. Huntsville First SDA is a
cutting-edge church, Hernandez
said. They understand that people in the twenty-rst century follow a pattern to conversion: cause
communityChrist. He noted that
the church has baptized more than
500 people in the past ve years
and credited this to its adherence
to following Christs method alone.
Christs method alone refers
to an oft-quoted passage by Adventist Church cofounder Ellen G.
White in her book The Ministry of
Healing, where she says on page
143: Christs method alone will give
true success in reaching the people. The Saviour mingled with men
as one who desired their good. He
showed His sympathy for them,
ministered to their needs, and won
their condence. Then He bade
them, Follow Me.
First church currently has 1,961
members.
Hernandez said he was unaware
of any other local Adventist church
that has given away cars to the
community. They are an inspiration to other congregations that
seek to engage the community in
relevant ways, Hernandez said of
First church.
Snell said he was delighted with
the congregations positive response to the car giveaway. Praise
God for church members willingness to step up and donate vehicles, he said.
10
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
Magic Johnson accepting an award from Carlton

Byrd, senior pastor at Oakwood University
Church. PHOTO: OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY CHURCH
MAGIC JOHNSON THANKS

ADVENTISTS WITH $550,000
FORMER BASKETBALL PLAYER DONATES TO
OAKWOOD UNIVERSITY AND CHURCH
BY RAMONA L. HYMAN AND ANDREW MC CHESNEY
ormer U.S. basketball star Earvin Magic Johnson, Jr., has donated more than a half million
dollars to Oakwood University and the Oakwood University church in appreciation for the inuence that
Seventh-day Adventists have had on his life.
Johnson, 56, who was raised in
an Adventist family, retired from
basketball in the 1990s and became
a wealthy businessman with interI USED TO BE A POINT
ests in entertainment and sports.
GUARD FOR THE LOS
He told the congregation at the OakANGELES LAKERS
wood University church in HuntsHAD THEM LITTLE
ville, Alabama, that he also is a
SHORTS ON
Christian.
AND I WAS DOING
And here I am, Johnson said as
MY THING.
he accepted the churchs 2016 HuI WAS HAPPY, BUT I
manitarian Award on May 14. I used
WASNT FULFILLED.
to be a point guard for the Los AnSO NOW I AM THE
geles Lakershad them little shorts
POINT GUARD
onand I was doing my thing. I was
FOR THE LORD.
happy, but I wasnt fullled. So now
I am the point guard for the Lord.
Johnson announced that he was
donating $50,000 to Oakwood University for student scholarships in appreciation for
the universitys contribution to his familys education. My family has gone to this beautiful university,
Johnson said. My mother made sure my sisters had
no choice but to go to Oakwood.
ADRA GETS EUROPE DIRECTOR

Joo Martins has been
elected director of the
newly created European
ofce of ADRA, an entity
and position that has
been under discussion for
several years. The issue
came to a head during a
Seventh-day Adventist
Church-organized refugee
He said the scholarships were

in honor of his mother, Christine
Johnson, a Seventh-day Adventist
of more than 45 years, who attended the ceremony. Also present
in the church were his father, Earvin
Johnson, Sr., and Magics wife, Earlitha Cookie Johnson, a Huntsville native.
Johnson said he remembers his
mother walking door to door to
share her love for Jesus. Very few
people would listen, but she kept
going, he said.
Johnson also said he was donating $500,000 toward the construction of a new Family Life Center at Oakwood University church.
I believe in that man and the work
hes doing, Johnson said of Carlton Byrd, senior pastor of the Oakwood University church.
Byrd presented Johnson with
the humanitarian award for his
work with underserved communities through his Magic Johnson
Foundation, which promotes HIV
and AIDS awareness, distributes
scholarships, and runs Community Empowerment Centers that
put computer technology into
the hands of ethnically diverse
urban communities. The foundation spends $20 million assisting
more than 250,000 people every
year.
Brother Magic and Sister
Cookie have done so much, Byrd
said. It is important for our young
people to be . . . exposed to people who are making a positive
difference.
summit in early 2016.

Martins, who
previously served as ADRA
director for the Adventist
Churchs Inter-European
Division, will be based in
Brussels and develop a
team that will coordinate
ADRA country directors
across Europe.
LOMA LINDA BREAKS GROUND

ON NEW HOSPITAL
THE FACILITY IS SLATED TO OPEN IN 2020.
BY ADVENTIST REVIEW STAFF, WITH LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY HEALTH
ith more than 3,000 people looking on, Loma Linda University
Health leaders broke ground on a new hospital complex that
they promised would be the tallest building in San Bernardino County
in southern California and, more important, a beacon of hope for all.
The new 16-oor Loma Linda University Medical Center and expanded Childrens Hospital is to stand 267 feet (81 meters) tall and
contain 693 beds once its opens in 2020.
The complex will be located on the Dennis and Carol Troesh Medical Campus, named after a married couple who donated $100 million toward a philanthropic campaign beneting the hospital, said
Richard Hart, president of Loma Linda University Health.
This institution was built through stages by visionary leaders who
took the realities of their day and molded them into a strategy for
the future, Hart said as shovels hit the dirt on May 23. Our hospitals are where our beliefs are put into action, where our knowledge,
our expertise, and our compassion come together to restore lives
and families.
The hospital will not only be the tallest building in San Bernardino
County, but it will also be deemed one of the safest in California,
Loma Linda University Health said. The project is implementing a
rst-of-its-kind vertical earthquake isolation system that separates
the building from the ground using more than 500 vertical shock absorbers, a large-scale version of a modern car suspension system.
Working hand-in-hand with a lateral earthquake isolation system
of sliding bearings and dampers, the system will protect patients and
staff from injury while keeping the hospital operational following a
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
11
NEWS
NAD PREPARES FOR MOVE

The North American
Division has started the
refurbishment of its new
headquarters in Columbia,
Maryland, with plans to
move in by April 2017.
The division will move
from its current headquarters, which it shares with
potentially catastrophic magnitude

7.9 earthquake on the nearby San
Jacinto Fault, it said in a statement.
The current Loma Linda University Medical Center, which is nearly
50 years old, does not meet Californias seismic requirements for
inpatient care.
The new complex is receiving
funding through a $1.2 billion philanthropic campaign called Vision
2020: The Campaign for a Whole
Tomorrow. Rachelle Bussell, senior vice president of advancement
at Loma Linda University Health,
announced that 13,000 people have
contributed more than $225 million toward that goal.
The new hospital, designed by
Seattle-based architecture rm
NBBJ, will have wellness gardens
that support physical, social, and
spiritual health; patient rooms that
promote patient and family healing; nursing stations that encourage collaboration; and community
spaces lled with natural light,
Loma Linda University Health said.
It also will have a 60-seat chapel
and a new helipad.
Loma Linda University Health is
known internationally for its leading role in medical care advances,
and Kerry Heinrich, chief executive
of the Loma Linda University Medical Center, promised that those
innovations would continue at the
new complex.
It will stand as a beacon of hope
for all of us, and especially those
who are facing their darkest hour,
Heinrich said.
12
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
the General Conference in

Silver Spring, Maryland,
several miles down the
road.
The interior renovations
ofcially started June 1
and will include major
rewiring and ofce space
recongurations.
ADVENTISTS RETHINK
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
THEY SEEK TO BECOME MORE PRACTICAL

IN SOUTH AMERICA.
BY LUCAS ROCHA
ith religious intolerance growing in Brazil, about 500

Seventh-day Adventists gathered on the So Paulo
campus of Brazil Adventist University (UNASP) to learn how they
could defend religious freedom in their own communities.
The training session was the rst of its kind and marks a
shift in church strategy by introducing a more practical approach to the issue, said Hlio Carnassale, director of the religious liberty department of the Adventist Churchs South
American Division, which organized the event.
Carnassale said the training session also would serve as a
model for Brazil and the other seven South American countries of the division.
This is the rst big event for training Seventh-day Adventist
religious liberty leaders, Carnassale said. This is a change in
strategy that prioritizes more effective work at the local level.
Then we will celebrate this practical activity with religious
freedom festivals. One without the other does not work.
For the past several years, Adventist leaders have organized
huge festivals in various countries to thank the authorities for
protecting religious freedoms. Numerous church-led forums
and congresses celebrating religious freedom have been held
in Brazil alone.
Even though Brazil has few restrictions on religious freedom, according to a ranking from the Pew Research Center an
increase in religious intolerance has been measured in recent
years. For example, a human rights department hotline set up
in 2011 for people to call to report human rights violations has
seen complaints relating to religious intolerance jump from
15 in the rst year to 555 in 2015.
To protect religious freedom, Adventists also must develop
a relationship with civil and religious authorities that allows
them to celebrate and defend the right to worship and profess
their faith, Carnassale said.
This relationship must not be understood as ecumenism,
because beliefs should not be discussed at any point, he
said.
800 BAPTIZED IN PNG

More than 800 people
were baptized after a
three-week evangelistic
series led by Australian
evangelist Gary Webster
in Papua New Guinea. The
meetings, titled Ancient
Mysteries Reveal the
Future, were held in the

countrys capital, Port
Moresby, and the program
was uplinked via satellite
to more than 230 sites
across the territory of the
Adventist Churchs Central
Papua Conference.
NEWSBRIEFS
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
THE ADVENTIST CHURCH brought together advocacy organizations and

public leaders for the 2016 International Religious Liberty Summit, held at the
Newseums Religious Freedom Center in Washington, D.C. The event focused
on what has become a key concern for religious freedom advocates: the
relatively scarce media and political attention given to rising rates of religious
discrimination and persecution.
SEVEN ADVENTIST EMPLOYEESa union conference treasurer, a duciary
association director, three conference treasurers, a university nancial vice president,
and a radio executive directorfrom a single church entity, the Dominican Union, have
made history by receiving doctoral degrees in business administration from Montemorelos University in Mexico, an achievement that church leaders said would strengthen
local church leadership and was worth replicating in other parts of the world.
THE ADVENTIST CHURCH in Puerto Rico is seeking to reassure its
members and strengthen its schools and other institutions as a debt crisis
and economic recession batters the the U.S. territory in the Caribbean. At least
100,000 people are estimated to have left the island in the past year, including
more than 1,000 church members.
ADVENTIST-OWNED HOPE CHANNEL has pumped out an unprecedented
410 television programs in ve weeks in Fiji as part of an effort to provide local
programming to the remote islands of the South Pacic. Volunteers from Fiji,
Vanuatu, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, and the Solomon Islands teamed up
under the auspices of the churchs Trans Pacic Union Mission to produce the
television episodes for their communities.
FINAL NUMBERS FOR AN ADVENTIST MEGACLINIC in Los Angeles
show that 8,538 patients received 18,957 health-care services worth $38.4
million. Your Best Pathway to Health, the group that organized the megaclinic
in partnership with the Adventist Church, had hoped to provide $30 million in
services, and it credited God and 4,400 volunteers for making the April 27-29
event a success.
CHRISTON ARTHUR, dean of the Andrews University School of Graduate
Studies and Research, will become the universitys next provost in July, lling
a position vacated when Andrea Luxton was elected as the next president of
Andrews University earlier this year. Arthur has served as dean since 2010, and
as associate provost, with responsibilities for faculty policy and faculty
development, since 2012.
GRAEME BRADFORD, an Adventist minister and academic in Australia who
actively promoted public evangelism and the teachings of Adventist Church
cofounder Ellen White, has died after a four-year ght with melanoma, or skin
cancer. Bradford died on May 8 at the age of 75.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
13
NEWS FEATURE
Fred G. Thomas and his

wife, Jean, outside their
home in Burleson, Texas.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FRED THOMAS, JR.
FRED THOMAS
REMEMBERED
AS LEGEND OF
ADVENTIST
MISSION
HE WAS UNPARALLELED,
SAYS GC EXECUTIVE
SECRETARY G. T. NG
BY ANDREW MC CHESNEY
14
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
red G. Thomas, the son of Seventh-day Adventist missionaries who went on to become a missionary and senior church administrator, will be remembered as a
giant of Adventist mission who
shaped church policy in Africa for
decades and modeled mission in
his own home, spawning a new generation of church leaders.
Thomas, 90, died on May 6 in
his home in Burleson, Texas, surrounded by family. He had been
in declining health after undergoing surgery, the rst in his life, 10
weeks earlier, his family said.
General Conference president
Ted N. C. Wilson called Thomas a
careful and meticulous administrator who had a great appreciation for the mission of the church.
We thank the Lord for the longtime mission service of Elder and
Mrs. Thomas, said Wilson, who
worked with Thomas in the General Conference Secretariat from
1990 to 1992. Wilson was an associate secretary and Thomas was
undersecretary at the time.
His meticulous approach also
was reected in one of his personal

hobbies, which was restoring an
antique car in the basement of his
home in Maryland, Wilson said.
Soon Jesus will completely restore
him and all of us at His second
coming, which Elder Thomas
preached about in his lifetime of
service.
G. T. Ng, executive secretary of
the General Conference, said
Thomas had left an indelible mark
on mission, noting that even in
his retirement years he and his
wife, Jean, had spent nine months
as volunteers at Maxwell Adventist Academy in Kenya. Fred
Thomas might have left us, but
his mission legacy will continue
to inspire a new generation of
young people for cross-cultural
mission, he said.
Two sons, Fred Jr., and John, work
at the General Conference. A third
son, David, chairs the Theology
Department at Walla Walla University in College Place, Washington. The youngest, Peter, owns a
construction company and goes
on trips with Maranatha Volunteers International two to three
times a year to raise churches and
schools, usually in Africa. Two of
Thomas brothers also served as
missionaries.
While some families have trouble passing on the torch of faith
to their children, the Thomas family was able to inculcate and transmit commitment and service in a
remarkable way for three generations, Ng said.

Thomas was born on April 3, 1926,
at the Kendu Mission Hospital in
Kenya to British missionaries Frederick Herbert, a printer by trade,
and Florence (Norris) Thomas, a
secretary. His parents were lifelong
missionaries to Africa, arriving on
the continent in 1924 and serving
there for 42 years.
The eldest of four sons, Thomas
was sent to England to live with
his grandmother and attend the
Adventist-owned Stanborough Park
School. Thomas later attended Helderberg College, near Cape Town,
South Africa.
At Helderberg he met Daphne
Jean Hepburn. They were married
in 1948 and immediately entered
mission service in western Zambia
in Barotseland.Thomas was responsible for building several
homes at Liumba Hill Mission. He
later oversaw construction of the
Yuka Mission Hospital, which primarily cared for people with Hansens disease (leprosy).
At Yuka Thomas began the practice of learning the local language,
a pursuit that resulted in his acquiring uency in four languages
other than his native English: Luo,
Lozi, Swahili, and Ekegusii. He also
spoke some Xhosa.
Some Africans told him that
they considered him to be one of
them, which was a great compliment, said Fred Thomas, Jr., who
works at in-house operations at
the GC.
From Yuka the family moved to
Mongu, where Thomas served as
mission president. In 1956 he returned to Helderberg to nish a
bachelors degree in theology and
then moved to Kisii, Kenya, where
he served as mission president.
At Kisii he became one of the
rst to initiate missionary endeavors among the Masai, David Thomas
said.
In 1961 Thomas earned a masters degree at Andrews University.

Then the family returned to Africa,
where Thomas served as union
president in Tanzania and Zambesi
Union president in Bulawayo,
Rhodesia.
In January 1971 the family immigrated to the United States.
Thomas served as pastor of three
churches in Massachusetts, including the Village church in South Lancaster, and later moved to Lincoln,
Nebraska, to work as general man-
Thomas retired in Texas in 1992

but did not slow down. He and his
wife worked part-time at the ofce
of the Southwestern Union Conference. He came out of retirement
to serve as president of Southwestern Adventist University in Keene,
Texas, from August 29, 2001, to February 28, 2002. He served Southwestern Adventist University with
dignity, humility, common sense,
and good humor, the university
presidents ofce said in a statement.The university presented him
Fred and Jean Thomas pose with their four sons in 2015 (from left):
Peter, Fred, John, and David. PHOTO COURTESY OF DAVID THOMAS
ager of the Christian Record Braille

Foundation.
After that, he went to Beirut,
Lebanon, to serve as secretary of
the Middle Eastern Union. Upon
returning to the U.S., he briey
worked as corporation manager
at the Ohio Conference before
being elected Pennsylvania Conference president. From there, he
became secretary of the North
American Division in 1985 and then
was elected two years later to the
Secretariat at the General Conference. As undersecretary until
his retirement in 1992, he had
oversight of the minutes of more
than 100 committees, David
Thomas said.
with an honorary Doctor of Divinity

degree in 2006.
Though the struggles of old age
began to overtake him, he was living at home and able to tend to
life, including delivering food for
Meals on Wheels up to three days
a week, until his nal illness befell
him, David Thomas said.
Fred Thomas, Jr., said his father
looked forward to meeting Jesus.
At the end of his life Dad expressed
his wish to go to sleep until Jesus
comes, he said.
Thomas is survived by his wife
of 67 years, Jean Thomas; four sons,
Fred, David, John, and Peter; and
ve grandchildren.He is also survived by one brother, Mervyn.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
15
NEWS
Vietnamese children pose with Ted

Wilson and his birthday cake. JOHNNY LUBIS
A SABBATH BLESSING IN
WILSONS FIRST VISIT TO
CAMBODIA
A BUSY DAY IN A TRIP WITH THE PRESIDENT
BY ANDREW MC CHESNEY
hon Sovan Nhen preaches at

four churches every Sabbath
in Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh.
But he says the demanding schedule doesnt exhaust him. I dont
get tired on Sabbath, because of
the Sabbath blessing from God,
Nhen, who pastors a total of 12
churches, said as he taught the Sabbath School lesson to a packed hall
of 600 people in Phnom Penh.
The Sabbath blessing that Nhen
described may well be the same
blessing that sustains Seventh-day
Adventist Church president Ted N.
C. Wilson as he follows a demanding schedule of his own.
Wilson, who attended the Sabbath School in early May, was halfway through the longest trip in his
six years as president.
Wilsons nearly seven-week trip
began on April 13 when he left his
home in Maryland for a constituency meeting at Loma Linda
16
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
University Health in California. He

then ew to Caracas, Venezuela,
to preach at an evangelistic rally
and witness the baptism of 4,012
people.
From there Wilson set off on an
extended tour of the South Pacic,
meeting and encouraging church
members in Samoa, American Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Australian cities of Brisbane, Alice Springs,
Finke, and Perth.
Wilson returned home at the
end of May after visiting Laos and
preaching at a two-week evangelistic series in Rwanda that culminated in nearly 100,000 baptisms.
This is the longest trip that I have
ever made. Period, Wilson said,
speaking shortly after arriving in
Phnom Penh.
What might seem like a grueling travel schedule is all in a days
work for Wilson. His Sabbath visit
to Cambodia serves as a microcosm
of a typical day on the road.

Wilson and his wife, Nancy, awoke
at 3:00 a.m. Friday in Perth, Australia, for the long ight via Singapore to Phnom Penh. They landed
about an hour before sunset.
The welcoming delegation at the
airport was led by Lim Teng Pheng,
president of the Adventist Church
in Cambodia, and included Johnny
Lubis, vice president of the churchs
Southern Asia-Pacic Division in
the Philippines, and Jannie Bekker,
assistant to the president of the
Southeast Asia Union Mission in
Singapore.
Church members are very happy,
very excited, that the world leader
has come to visit us in Cambodia,
Pheng told Adventist Review. This
is a small country with a small membership. Yet he took the time. The
Adventist Church has 6,200 members worshipping in 159 congregations across Cambodia.
At the airport a local newspaper
reporter interviewed Wilson for
about 20 minutes about his visit,
his rst to Cambodia. A group of
smartly dressed Pathnders saluted as he left the building.
Wilson learned at the airport
that local church members had
pleaded for him to speak for vespers at Central Adventist Church,
located at the Cambodian Adventist Mission headquarters. So he
spoke at the church.
PACKED SABBATH
SCHEDULE
The busy schedule resumed at
8:30 a.m. Sabbath when Pheng drove
Church members are very happy,

very excited, that the world leader has
come to visit us in Cambodia,
the Wilsons to the International
Christian Assembly Hall. About 500
seats were placed initially in the
hall, which local church leaders
had rented from another denomination to accommodate the large
number of people who wished to
hear Wilson speak. But another
100 seats were added as the audience swelled.
With Pheng acting as interpreter,
Wilson shared stories about faithful church members whom he has
met around the world, including
in the South Pacic and Iraq, which
he visited in February. Wilson, underscoring a church initiative called
Total Member Involvement, encouraged each person in attendance
to follow the example of those faithful members in actively sharing
Jesus in their communities. What
are you doing for Jesus? he said.
Jesus asks you to be totally involved in His work. He wants you
to be telling someone outside these
four walls.
Later the Wilsons headed back
to the Cambodian Adventist Mission for a potluck lunch with the
14 ordained pastors who work in
Cambodia. Wilson spoke and prayed
with the pastors for about 30 minutes, reminding them that actions
speak louder than sermons and
urging them to implement Total
Membership Involvement in their
congregations.
The Wilsons then rode to ADRAs
Cambodia ofce to hear a report
about its activities. Wilson praised
gathered ADRA workers for acting
as the hands and feet of Jesus
by providing drinking water, education about reproductive health,

and other programs.
The next stop was the Cambodian Adventist School, built
with US$180,000 raised in a Thirteenth Sabbath Offering nearly
two decades ago. With 457 students the K-12 school is filled to
overflowing, and also houses
about 30 students in two dormitories built by the Adventist
church in Collegedale, Tennessee, principal Sharon Rogers said.
About six students are baptized
every year. Wilson, in a speech
to students and teachers, reminded them about the importance of heeding the wise mans
words in Ecclesiastes 12:1: Remember your Creator in the days
of your youth.
Wilson used 3 John 2 for his remarks at the factory of Heartland
Development Organization, a natural foods company owned and
operated by Adventists.
A BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
As the afternoon wore on, the
constant travel, the speeches at
every stop, and the sweltering temperature of 100 F (38 C) began to
take a toll on the visitors. But the
Wilsons did not complain or slow
down. It takes a lot out of you, but
the Lord provides, Wilson said.
The Lord did seem to provide at
the nextand laststop: the Viet
Adventist Church School, which
educates refugee Vietnamese children. A courtyard lled with children greeted the Wilsons with joyful
Sabbath songs, and several students recited the Ten Commandments from memory in the Vietnamese language.
The school principal, Pham Qouc
Khanh, told Wilson how the school,
which is primarily sponsored by
Adventist Southeast Asia Project
(ASAP), had opened with little more
than a prayer a decade ago and
now educates 250 students on two
campuses.
The children listened transxed
as Wilson told a story about the
positive inuence that two little
boys had had on a patient at the
Adventist hospital in Ethiopia.
Then the children, most of whom
do not come from Adventist families, surprised Wilson. A child presented Wilson with a round cake
inscribed to Ted Wilson as the
other children merrily sang Happy
Birthday.
Wilsons sixty-sixth birthday was
three days away, on May 10.
A lit candle burned brightly atop
the cakes white-and-blue frosting.
As a gift, a group of children recited Psalms 23 from memory. That
was a highlight of the day, Nancy
Wilson said later.
At the school all traces of weariness vanished from Ted Wilsons
face as he accepted the cake and
praised the children for memorizing Psalm 23.
The Wilsons would no doubt
agree that the pastor got it right
when he said in Sabbath School
earlier that morning, I dont get
tired on Sabbath, because of the
Sabbath blessing from God.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
17
NEWS
Wally Amundson and his interpreter,

Jean-Baptiste Manirakiza, at the Mudende
church in Rwanda. PHOTO COURTESY OF WALLY AMUNDSON
A RWANDAN WOMAN ASKED

TO GO HOME WITH ME
MANY OTHERS IN THE CONGREGATION ENTERTAINED SIMILAR THOUGHTS
BY WALLY AMUNDSON
urrying down the rocky path

toward the Mudende Seventh-day Adventist Church, my interpreter and I called out our usual
greetings and invitations to gawking
residents to attend the ongoing evangelistic meetings.
Many people replied, See you
there! with bright smiles. Few of
them had ever seen a White person
close up in this mountainous corner of Rwanda overlooking the border with the Democratic Republic
of Congo.
Then a woman surprised us. After the usual greeting she burst out,
Take me home with you.
We stopped.
As I looked into the womans face,
I saw a sincere mother, perhaps even
a grandmother, who had spent years
working in the elds to provide basic necessities for her family. I wasnt
sure how to respond.
So after additional greetings and
reafrming our invitation to our
meetings, my interpreter and I resumed our walk to the church.
My youthful, energetic interpreter,
Jean-Baptist Manirakiza, and I were
conducting a series of 18 meetings
under the banner of Total Member
Involvement Rwanda, a series of
evangelistic meetings held at more
than 2,200 sites across the country
from May 13 to 28, 2016. My wife,
18
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
Christine, was holding similar meetings at the nearby Shaki church.

The meetings were going well.
Hundreds of men, women, and children were learning new truths daily
from the Bible. But I kept thinking
about the woman with the unusual
request. She probably didnt even
know that I lived in Miami, Florida;
only that I had come from far away.
I asked my interpreter whether
the woman was attending the evangelistic meetings and learned that
she lived close by and was most
likely present.
On the nal Sabbath I decided to
share the brief conversation during
my nal sermon on heaven. Avoiding specic details to prevent potential embarrassment, I disclosed
the spontaneous request from the
woman in their community to be
taken to my home. The response was
an instant roar of excitement and
approval, signaling that other people had entertained similar thoughts
and would have made the same request given the opportunity.
We agreed that the woman would
have been amazed at the new sights
and experiences if I invited her to
go to the United States with me. But
after a few days or weeks, I said, the
woman probably would have said:
Where is my family? Where are my
friends? Im hungry for the familiar
produce from my garden.

The congregation laughed in
afrmation.
I suggested that rather than accept a temporary excursion to another country, it would be far better to accept Christs invitation to
join Him in a heavenly home. This
is a place where friends and family
will no longer be separated, and
we will dine with Jesus under the
tree of life.
At that point the congregation
was ready to repeat Jesus words in
John 14:1-3 from memory, and in unison, in tones that resembled a shout:
Let not your heart be troubled; you
believe in God, believe also in Me.In
My Fathers house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have
told you. I go to prepare a place for
you.And if I go and prepare a place
for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am,
there you may be also (NKJV).*
The wooden rafters of the redbrick church vibrated with conviction from newly baptized and regular members alike.
On May 28, 116 precious people
were baptized from the Mudende
church, and another 100 were baptized from the Shaki church at a combined service. In all, nearly 100,000
new believers joined the Seventh-day
Adventist Church across Rwanda.
We left the church with a simple
prayer to Jesus on our lips: Take
me home with You.
* Bible texts credited to NKJV are from the
New King James Version. Copyright 1979,
1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:

MARX, DARWIN, NIETZSCHE, AND 1844
THE POWER OF CULTURE AND/OR THE CULTURE OF POWER
SMARTPHONE CHURCH MANNERS
LETS CELEBRATE AIR
DISCOVER
24/7
LIVING THE SABBATH
IN THE 21ST CENTURY
DISCOVER
BY GERALD A. KLINGBEIL
o be or not to be, that is the question, declares Hamlet in one of

Shakespeares most inuential and
popular tragedies.
Adventists often transform the
English bards iconic quote into To
do or not to do, thats the question,
as they reect on keeping the Sabbath holy in a world in which holiness is not easily recognized and time is of the
essence.
Should we buy a bus or train ticket on Sabbath?
Is it OK to cut ones ngernails on Sabbath? What
about cooking a meal for the invited guest of
honor? Can we go to the beach or a baseball game
on Sabbath? And how should we deal with those
who write a check on Sabbath (including a check
destined for the offering plate)?
For millennia rabbis, pastors, parents, children,
and many others have mulled over similar questions. What does keeping the Sabbath holy really
encompass? What does it mean when Scripture
tells us to remember the Sabbath? How does
Sabbath rest affect busy people living in a busy
world that is in the on mode 24/7?
In order to nd answers to these kinds of questions, its good, for just a moment, to stop dead in
our tracks and change tack. Instead of making the
case for or against buying a ticket on Sabbath, we
may pause just long enough to listen to Scriptures
take on Sabbath. After all, thats where we rst
hear about Shabbat, the weekly 24-hour rest period
built into creation that helps us recharge, refocus,
and regenerate. As we begin to unpack Sabbath
biblically, let's look at ve key reasons for remembering and keeping it holy. A number of questions
at the end of each section will offer opportunities
to think about these issues individually or as part
of a larger community, so that we can uncover the
underlying biblical Sabbath principle for
ourselves.1
1. IN THE BEGINNING...
In the beginning is a powerful way to start a
story. Right from the outset, Scripture reminds us
that time is part of Gods creation mix. He speaks
in timeand creation happens in time. Evening and
morning make day one, day two, day three, until
we reach day six (Gen. 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). God is
thrilled with His handiwork, and the biblical nar20
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
rator tells us that after the creation of humanity on

day six He looked and it was very good (verse 31).
God, however, is not yet done. Thrilled as He is
with what He sees before Him, there is one more
day that awaits completion. The seventh day of
Creation is uniquein verbal forms used and focus
offered. God nishes the work, He rests, and in His
resting He blesses and sancties (Gen. 2:2, 3). It
represents the climax of Creation and an invitation
to restside by sidewith the Creator.
Gods rest communicates that it is done, that His
perfect creation is complete and perfectand all we
need. Wholeness is a key characteristic of Gods
creation before the Fall. This wholeness covered
relationships, including Adam and Eves or the relationship between humanity and the rest of creation,
as well as their relationship with the Creator. Gods
Sabbath rest is also an expression of His passionate
love; He wanted to spend time with His creatures.
In Eden God gives Himself every seventh day exclusively to fellowship with humanity.
Jump forward to Sinai. The Sabbath commandment in Exodus 20:8-11 is not only the longest
commandment employing a distinct syntactic structure, but the opening invitation to remember
echoes Genesis 1-2 and the holiness that comes
from fellowship with the Creator. Gods presence
makes the Sabbath holy. Creation reminds us of His
hallowing activity and our yearning for unlimited
community. This is true in all cultures and at all
times. Ultimately, it is this divine creation activity
that forms the rationale of remembering the Sabbath and keeping it holy (Ex. 20:11), and it covers
everyone, including family, livestock, even the
stranger.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION:
What other elements linking the Sabbath
and Creation can you think of? What do
they tell us about God?
What are the implications of the connection between Sabbath, Creation, and
holiness for our Sabbath experience?
2. FREE AT LAST
The Sabbath is not only closely connected to
Creation; the Lawgiver Himself helps us understand an even bigger dimension in Deuteronomy
5:12-15. We nd Moses exhorting Israel on a plain
in Moab following 40 years of wandering in the
Gods
presence
makes the
Sabbath
holy.
wilderness (Deut. 1:1-5). His retelling of Israels

history is a teaching tool, helping a new generation to remember and to understand. Intriguingly,
the rationale for Sabbathkeeping in Deuteronomy
5:15 focuses not on Creation but on Gods liberation of Israel from Egypt.
Redemption is an integral part of the Sabbath
package in Scripture. In fact, Deuteronomy 5:15
represents a conscious contextualization for a
new generation, making the implicit explicit.2
Gods creation did not divide the world into master
and slave, but offered equality. All creation was
equally dependent on the Creator and derived life
from the divine Maker. Both man and woman
were created in Gods image (Gen. 1:27); and following the Fall, both man and woman (together
with the rest of creation) required redemption.
Sabbath is the great equalizer, where we all sit
around the table of Gods grace and enjoy the
fellowship of the redeemed. Social, gender, and
ethnic differences become irrelevant, because it
is God who has brought us out of Egyptand
He did so with a mighty hand and an outstretched
arm (Deut. 5:15). Israels new generation is to
remember Egypt and slavery and Gods mighty
acts. As they enter the Promised Land, they
become Gods new creation.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
21
Imagine what would happen if we could remember every Sabbath that we have been brought out
of our Egypts and Babylons full of addiction,
hatred, self-centeredness, and self-righteousness.
Ive been redeemed would become so much
more than a familiar hymn. The Sabbath liberates
us from our misguided attempts to produce righteousness and holiness within ourselves. Can we
hear Scriptures good news whispering in our ears
that we can truly rest in Him?
What does the concept of God liberating
Israel with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm mean for people living in
the twenty-rst century?
What are the implications of the connection between Sabbath and liberation out
of Egypt for our Sabbath experience?
3. THE STRANGER
reation and liberation are foundational principles of a biblical Sabbath theology. But what
about the stranger? Exodus 23:12 may provide
a helpful answer. Scholars have called the larger
context of this passage the book of the covenant,
as it details a number of laws governing human
relations. These laws concern the altar, slaves,
violence between human beings, property, restitution, equality before the law, Sabbath years, and
annual feasts (Ex. 20:19-23:33). Exodus 23:12
speaks specically about the Sabbath, and includes
an important reference to the stranger. In a section
dealing with practical issues affecting Gods people,
why would God include another reference to the
Sabbath that specically mentions the stranger?
The Sabbath effect described in Exodus 23:12
may give us a hint. People and animals should
rest so that they would be refreshed. The Hebrew
verb used here describes refreshment coming from
catching ones breath while resting. In fact, the
noun using the same root means life or living
being and has already appeared in Exodus 23:9.
We all need to catch our breath and become, again,
living beings.
No doubt, Sabbath rest is part of Gods therapy
for stressed-out, overworked, and worried workaholics. Yet Exodus 23:12 does not really focus
upon them. The text focuses on animals, the son
of your female servant, and the stranger (NKJV).3
22
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
Exodus 23:12 tells us that God cares for the downtrodden, the marginalized, and the stranger. In a
time in which refugees and strangers are
ever-present in many regions of the world, we do
well to remember Gods special care for them and
the close link to the Sabbath.
How can the Sabbath be a blessing for
people who dont know yet the Lord of the
Sabbath?
What does Gods concern for the stranger
suggest for our Sabbathkeeping?
4. HANDS ON
iblical authors highlight the close link between
the Sabbath and the commitment to serve
others. This particular element of Sabbath
theology, however, is often forgotten or even
ignored. In fact, this is not a new problem. Israels
prophets wrote about the disconnect between
keeping the Sabbath and abusive practices aimed
against those who are poor and afflicted (Amos
8:5, 6). Somehow Israel had forgotten that Gods
justice is intricately connected to His creation and
redemption that involves all.
Isaiah 58 highlights another important element
of the Sabbath in Scripture. The chapter juxtaposes
false and true worship. The prophet, echoing Gods
voice, wonders about the disconnect of seeking
God and drawing near to God, yet ignoring righteousness and oppressing societys marginalized
(Isa. 58:2, 3). Fasting and praying are not good
replacements for humble service and unselsh
giving. Sabbath worship, it seems, cannot be a
self-centered pursuit of happiness, but should focus
upon Gods dreams and His will for this world.
Pursuing our pleasure (verse 13, NKJV) (or our
own interests, as the NRSV translates here)4 is
equivalent to trampling the Sabbath (NRSV).
Human agendas are not part of Gods Sabbath
ideal. Rather, we are invited to look out for those
who struggle, who are captives, who are hungry
and naked and walk in darkness, whose names
no one seems to remember. In fact, if we are honest and take a good look into the mirror, thats
what we ourselves really are. Revelation 3:17 tells
us that we think we have got it all together but in
reality are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and
naked. We think we are doing well, yet are blind-
sided to our true condition. We are grace-starved

and self-propelled.
What happens when we recognize the Sabbaths
implicit invitation to serve others? Isaiah 58 mentions twice the notion of delight (verses 13, 14,
NKJV). The Hebrew term is not used often in the
Old Testament. Poetic texts often link delight in
the Lord with divine blessings and the desires or
your heart (Ps. 37:4). Isaiah 58:13 contrasts
human pleasure to God-centered delight. Instead
of pursuing the siren-breathed whisperings of
iSociety, God invites us to experience the sheer
delight of discovering His sustaining and creative
grace as we serve societys downtrodden.
God is still
aroundand
every new
Sabbath
becomes a
sign of His
presence, I
grace, and
future.
Since the Fall our human nature is naturally self-centered. How can service for
others invigorate our Sabbath experience?
Consider the concept of Sabbath and

service in the life and ministry of Jesus.
What can this teach Adventists living in
the twenty-rst century?
5. FORGET ME NOT
n an age of smartphone apps and GPS we tend
to pay less attention to signs and maps. Yet signs
still matter (and not just when the satellite is
down or we dont have coverage). Signs identify
locations; they highlight important events; they
point to somet hing
beyond themselves.
Exodus 31:12-17 concludes the Lords seventh
speech of the sanctuary
building instructions. Its
unique contribution to a
biblical Sabbath theology
can be seen right from the
outset: Surely My Sabbaths you shall keep, for it
is a sign between Me and
you throughout your generations, that you may
know that I am the Lord
who sancties you (Ex.
31:13, NKJV). Sabbathkeeping is not an optional
recreational activity. Rather, its a divine command
and represents a sign between God and His people
helping humanity to understand true sancticaJULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
23
tion. Scholars have long recognized the close link

between the Sabbath and the sanctuary. Both
emphasize divine-human fellowship and communityin space and time (cf. Ex. 25:8). Both were
given by God and reect divine characteristics.
But there is another dimension to the Sabbath
sign in Exodus 31:12-17. Sabbath is a sign for a
perpetual (or eternal) covenant (verses 16, 17) that
is rooted in creation. Scripture mentions three
covenant signs in the Old Testament (the rainbow
[Gen. 9:12, 13, 17]; circumcision [Gen. 17:11]; and
the Sabbath [Ex. 31; 13; 17; Eze. 20:12, 20]). Of
these three, Sabbath is the least physically tangible
and involves a consistent human response. The
Sabbath sign helps us to know (Ex. 31:13) the
Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctier. Its like a ag
that gets raised every seven days and functions as
a mnemonic device, as we tend to forget.
Adventists have always recognized the message
of the rst angel of Revelation 14:6, 7 as pointing
to the Sabbath. The language of the text is clearly
the language of the fourth commandment (Ex.
20:11). In a sense, the Sabbath becomes the subtext of Gods story set in contrast to the dragons
story in Revelation. The loving Creator is set
against the angry accuser who wants to sow doubt
about the character of God. In the rst angels
message, the Sabbath, writes Sigve Tonstad,
conveys the message of Gods enduring and faithful participation in human reality.5 God is still
around, and every new Sabbath becomes a sign
of His presence, grace, and future.

Good signs give good directions. Why did
God choose the Sabbath as a sign of His
covenant and sanctication? Is the Sabbath a good sign?
How does the concept of the Sabbath as a
sign help us as we wrestle with keeping the
Sabbath?
WRAP-UP
Our study of key dimensions of the biblical

Sabbath is nearly complete. Creation and redemption lie at its very foundation; mission, service,
and the public declaration are additional nuances
reecting the perfect character of the Lawgiver.
Yet our search is not yet over. Too often we
become sidetracked by the intricacies of the dos
and donts of appropriate Sabbathkeeping and
overlook the foundational Sabbath principles that
challenge us to ultimately rest in Him. Instead
of living Sabbath principles 24/7, we have frequently specialized in establishing a catalogue of
appropriate Sabbath behavior. Imagine what could
happen if these principles really affected our lives,
not just our Sabbathkeeping?
Hebrews 4:1-6 speaks of another rest. Its rest
from our own righteousness; rest from our poor
attempts at holiness; and rest from our self-centeredness. As we begin to see more clearly the
Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28), we too are drawn
to Him who came to save the lost, the weary, and
the broken.
I reckon He came especially for me.
1
In writing this article, I have benefited significantly from the research
found in Mathilde Frey, The Sabbath in the Pentateuch: An Exegetical
and Theological Study (Ph.D. diss., Seventh-day Adventist Theological
Seminary, Andrews University, 2011), and Sigve K. Tonstad, The Lost
Meaning of the Seventh Day (Berrien Springs, Mich.: Andrews University
Press, 2009).
2
See Gerald A. Klingbeil, The Sabbath Law in the Decalogue(s): Creation and Liberation as a Paradigm for Community, Revue Biblique 117,
no. 4 (2010): 491-509, esp. 506.
3
Bible texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version.
Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
4
Bible texts credited to NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by
permission.
5
Tonstad, p. 479.
Gerald A. Klingbeil is an associate editor of the Adventist

Review who longs for the ultimate Sabbath rest in Jesus.
24
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
MARX, DARWIN,
NIETZSCHE,
AND 1844
n October 15, 1844, one week before
the Great Disappointment, a boy was
born into a pious Lutheran family in
Germany. His name was Friedrich, Friedrich Nietzsche, and the infant would age
into one of modernitys most inuential
atheists. Believing that the Christian God
was dying in the West, Nietzsche railed
against the Christian religions continued
moral inuence, deriding it as a slave
morality, the morality of the weak, who,
in an attempt to protect themselves from
the stronger, concocted silly notions like
love your enemies. For Nietzsche,
modernity needed to get beyond antiquated notions of good and evil; a character in one of his books (Thus Spake
Zarathustra) declared, Smash the old law
tablets! meaning, of course, the Ten
Commandments.
The year 1844 was also important for
Karl Marx, the founder of Communism.
Called the Economic and Philosophic
Manuscripts of 1844, this work had been
written by Marx that year, even if not
published until 1927 by the Soviet Union.
The manuscripts show the early development of Marxs ideology, in which he
argued for a totally materialist reality that
moved through various economic stages
until the workers of the world would
unite, overthrow their capitalist oppressors, and create a Communist utopia on
earth.
The year 1844 was an important one
for Charles Darwin, too, for in it he wrote
to his wife, I have just nished my sketch
of my species theory. If, as I believe, my
theory is true and if it be accepted even
by one competent judge, it will be a considerable step in science. In what has
become known as The Essay of 1844,
Darwin produced one of the earliest

expressions of his evolutionary theory,
even if it was not then made public. Only
in 1859, with the publication of On the
Origin of Species, did Darwin publicly promulgate his view that all life on earth
originated from a common ancestor by
natural and chance processes alone.
Forgive me, but I dont think it mere
coincidence that this year, 1844, was the
fulllment of the 2300-day prophecy of
Daniel 8:14; and the same year that, out
of the leftovers of the Great
Disappointment, seeds were
planted that would burgeon
into a worldwide movement
that would repudiate the guts
of Marxist, Nietzschean, and
Darwinian ideology.
Contra Marx, the Seventh-day Adventist move- A COINCIDENCE THAT
ment proclaimed that the
ALL THESE EVENTS
great controversy between
HAPPENED IN 1844?
Christ and Satan, not a materialist dialectic, explained the
ow of history, which would
end, not in a human-made
Communist utopia but in the supernatural establishment of Gods eternal kingdom. Contra Darwin, the Seventh-day
Adventist movement taught that life
originated, not in the natural and chance
processes of random mutation and natural selection, but by the power of the
Creator God, who in six days created life
on earth and rested on the seventh. Contra Nietzsche, the Seventh-day Adventist
movement proclaimed not only that God
exists but that His universal code of
morality, the Ten Commandments (the
old law tablets), remains Gods ultimate
standard of judgment and is binding on
all humanity.
A coincidence that all these events
happened in 1844? How naive, I think,
to believe so.
CLIFFS
EDGE
CLIFFORD
GOLDSTEIN
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
25
DISCOVER
BY THOMAS LEMON
e rarely think much about air. Unless its

too smoky or too hot or too cold or too
wet or too dry or moves too fast; we think
about it only when it isnt exactly the way
we want it. But if it is 72 degrees, 30 percent
humidity, and scattered clouds, we dont think
about it. And if it were always like that, we would
not have many conversations about it either.
So it is with the culture into which we were
born and within which we were raised. Each of
us is deeply affected by the culture around us.
Unless there is some kind of clash with a neighbor
or a neighboring culture, we simply move without
much thought within that culture day after day.
The basic problem with human culture, and its
true across the spectrum of culture, whether it be
East or West, North or South, or any fair combination of the four quadrants of the earth, our basic
cultural problem is the inescapable reality in the
world around us that culture grows out of the sinlled hearts of human beings. No culture, no matter
how primitive or advanced, informed or ignorant,
cosmopolitan or isolated, is untouched by sin. And
much of the time we simply live with it.
Furthermore, it is not a new problem. Its as
ancient as Cain and Abel. Conict arose because
Abels blood-sacrice offering of faith revealed in
obedience was accepted, while Cains produce
offering of nonfaith revealed in a save myself
disobedience was not. Their descendants, as history plays out Genesis 4 and 5, reveals the clash
of cultures theme/motif with a clarity that cannot
be missed.
We live with that culture clash today, on several
fronts and on several levels. But the culture clash
that so clearly and even violently appears on the
pixilated pages of our computers, TVs, or the
printed pages of newspapers and magazines
becomes mere sandbox play when compared to
the clash of culture when the kingdom of heaven
and its values are placed on the same planet with
the kingdom of darkness and its resultant norms.
The times in which we live, and should the
Lords return tarry a few years, the times in which
our grandchildren will live, reveal the clash in
matters of life and death and again in ever-increasing levels of violence. It is already happening
in some places, and has been for some time now.
The Bible insists that it will be global before its
26
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
THE POWER
OF CULTURE
AND/OR
THE CULTURE
OF POWER
over, and it isnt at all hard to see how that can

happen. The so-called solutions proposed by
todays political leaders are hardly even Band-Aids
on the war-inicted moral and mortal wounds
under which our world is dying.
And sadly, the battleeld is not only out there.
Unless we are biblically and spiritually careful, it
is in here, even in this room. In reality, it is deep
within each of us. Romans 7 makes that starkly
clear.
A FAMILIAR STORY
Two boys, brothers, grew up in northern Israel

a couple millennia ago. They were good boys, and
as they matured they stood to inherit the family
business. We dont know how many generations
the business had prospered; it could have been
three or four, or more.
They were young, prosperous, smart, ambitious,
well trained, and ready to lead. And they knew it;
they were enculturated in that way. And there were
theological overtones as well. Prosperity not only
brought its own blessingit also indicated the very
presence of God. Prosperity brought with it inuence in the community. And inuence was everything. With their hard work, their investments, and
their sales quotas, they could and did noticeably
S
This contextualized version of The Last
Supper was painted in 1753 by Marcos
Zapata Inca, a Peruvian Quechua painter. The
image introduces elements typical of Peruvian culture with a table laden with viscacha
(an Andean rodent similar to a rabbit) and
glasses of chicha (a typical Peruvian beverage
made of maize). The image can be found in
the Cathedral in Cuzco, Peru.
and positively affect the local economy at least to
some degree. Jimmy and Johnny were destined for
greatness in their section of the world, and that fact
was lost on nobody, certainly not on them.
We know them as the disciples James and John:
the shing brothers of Zebedees Galilean Fishing
Consortium, Inc.
All of this comes to a meeting of meanings in a
story told in two of the Synoptic Gospels. Im
reading from Matthew 20:20, 21. Then the mother
of Zebedees sons came to Jesus with her sons
and, kneeling down, asked a favor of him. . . . She
said, Grant that one of these two sons of mine
may sit at your right and the other at your left in
your kingdom.
Since we know the outcome of this story, we
know how Jesus is about to respond. However, in
jumping too quickly to the conclusion, we easily
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
27
miss the real irony here, the real lessons Jesus has
been trying to teach them for three years by this
time. Before we go to Jesus, consider just how
naturally this conversation between Mrs. Zebedee
and Jesus seems to arise.
Mrs. Zebedee does not bat an eye; she does not
quaver in her quest; she does not apologize or
profess any sort of humility before Jesus. She
comes boldly before the Lord. Yes, she comes in
a posture of worship, but she manifests no reluctance or self-doubt in her endeavor.
Why? Because within that culture, so much like
our own, a sense of entitlement rises with success,
with opportunity, and with a life of ambition. Her
sons were bright, successful, and promising. Why
not ask for the highest positions in the new kingdom? It was likely that they felt close to those
positions already. And Mrs. Zebedee stepping in
would only solidify their chances.
But there is more to the motivation as well. John
with Andrew were among the very rst to walk
with Jesus, and James was not far behind. They
loved Jesus with all their hearts and wanted to be
close to Him. They had been in line, as it were,
from the beginning. But this request reveals their
complete misunderstanding of the kingdom of
Jesus Christ.
Clearly, the climax of all this was not far off.
Jesus would be setting up His new government
within a few weeks, probably with his next visit
to Jerusalem. So with the fulcrum of Jewish history in front of her, Mrs. Zebedee went to Jesus
with her request.
Jesus had worked with them for more than
three years; He knew them well, these sons of
thunder. He knew their potential and their ambition. Guessing who would be the greatest in the
new kingdom was their most common conversational pastime. And Jesus wearied of overhearing
it. He knew they were not yet getting it.
He knew that His culture, His kingdom culture,
was as different from their view of the kingdom
as light is from darkness, as life is from death.
Contextually, the setting of this story in both
Matthew and Mark is amazingly poignant. Just
before Mrs. Zebedee asserted her request, Jesus
called the 12 aside and told them plainly that they
were going to Jerusalem, and that He was going
to die at the hands of the Gentiles, having been
falsely convicted by the Jews. Immediately follow28
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
ing this passage, Jesus healed Bartimaeus, and

continued straight to the triumphal entry and
Passion Week.
So the timing of Mrs. Zebedees request was
spot-on. She knew perhaps only intuitively that
the climax of Jesus ministry was near, and she
made her request just in time.
There was just one little problem: the values
and characteristicsindeed, the premises of the
kingdom Jesus was establishingwere diametrically opposed to her desires and her expectations,
and theirs as well.
NOT THAT DIFFERENT
Mrs. Zebedees request, coming naturally as it

did, is not something totally foreign to us today,
not at all. But Jesus had some things to say that
we do well to hear again. And hear His words with
the sympathy and grace in His voice that only
Jesus can deliver. The rulers of the Gentiles lord
it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. Not so with you. Instead,
whoever wants to become great among you must
be your servant, and whoever wants to be rst
must be your slavejust as the Son of Man did
not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
his life as a ransom for many (verses 25-28).
Some distance from here and some decades ago
I sat in the study of the church I was pastoring.
Across the desk sat the union conference president. He was a member of that church and we
chatted from time to time, so this moment of
conversation was not at all unusual. Our local
conference session was coming up, and he would
chair the nominating committee. He wanted to
talk about the process and what was coming up.
The conference was what I would describe as
being somewhat restless, and a sense of change
was hanging in the air; he knew it, and I knew it.
But I will never forget the details of that conversation, for it adjusted my thinking rather
signicantly.
He said, There are those who think that God
calls men to be conference presidents and that
once in position, they stay there. Then the union
conference president leaned forward in his chair
and said quietly but with intensity, Tom, mark
this down in your mind and in your memory. God
doesnt call us to positions; He calls us to service.
The church, led by the Holy Spirit, assigns those
servants to various positions of leadership. Just

as certainly, the church, led by the same Holy
Spirit, can unassign those positions as well. But
Gods highest call is the call to service.
It was a profound conversation. Gods call is
always rst a call to service.
That service can be to wash the feet of a quadriplegic who will never feel the sensation. It can
be to the incubator of a stricken baby in a NICU,
who will never know you were there, and cant
report it to anyone. It can be to preach to kings
who dont respond and who do. It can be ministry
to prisoners whose faith is sincere or mercenary.
In serving the Lord, He puts us in the places He
desires. Service for Him may or may not be where
or what I would rst desire. But serving the Lord
must, after all, be far more about Him than it is
about me.
Yes, there is a rightful place for carefully exercised God-given authority and leadership. Jesus
made that clear in Matthew 16 and elsewhere.
The book of Acts is full of leaders making decisions, as they are supposed to. But the focus is
never on the authority for the sake of the one in
authority; rather, it is on the missional service for
which that authority is given.
KINGDOM CULTURE
Never do you have Jesus or His disciples saying,

Because I said so. I promised myself that I would
never say that to my kids (before I had kids). But
I ended up saying it many times.
We must be careful not to do that as leaders.
How many times over the years did people say to
me as we sought to make some critical decision,
Youre the president; you decide! But I dont nd
support for that kind of leadership in the Bible.
God can say Because I said so, and in a few
places He does. He tells Moses He has decided
that Moses will not lead Israel into the Promised
Land, and in effect He tells Moses to be quiet about
it. Paul prays earnestly for the removal of a burden,
a thorn in the esh. But God says, No; my grace
is sufficient. Most of the time the great leaders of
Scripture dont say, Because I said so.
A notable exception is David, and when he did
that, he got into deep trouble. He, along with his
people, paid a price.
Whats the solution? Ambition is good, to a
point. Preparation for leadership in various levels
of the church is good, to a point.

From time to time we need to rethink this whole
matter of the culture of the kingdom, what some
have called kingdom culture.
Power: Not so with you, Jesus said. He also
said, Unless you change and become like little
children, you will never enter the kingdom of
heaven (Matt. 18:3).
I recently watched my four grandchildren, ages
6 to 2, play and interact together. Except for the
2-year-old, who was universally protected by the
other three, they all took turns rather naturally
being in charge, and giving direction in the various activities in which they engaged. Occasionally
one would say, Well, my dad said, when he or
she needed some extra authority. But for the most
part they simply got along well together.
Kingdom culture must be like that. In the presence of Jesus there will be perfection; but even
here, before we get there, we can learn to put others
rst, we can step out of our culture of greed, power
lust, and arrogance into His culture of giving, sacrice, and, most of all, service. We do well to
remember that while He is all-loving, all-knowing,
all-powerful, and everywhere present, we are not.
Without Him we can do exactly nothing.
In the end it is not about the General Conference, the division, or the union conference. Our
organizational structure is only a tool in the hand
of the Lord to advance His kingdom and prepare
a world for His return. The structure is built to
serve, not to be served. We dare not forget that.
The Lord can do what He wants with that structure: He can use it; He can bypass it; and He can
change it to t what He needs now. And we, His
servants, must be completely open to that.
As Jesus said just before He went to Gethsemane: No servant is greater than his master
(John 13:16). We dont tell Him; He tells us.
Jesus reminds us: I will build my church (Matt.
16:18). Long before we came on the scene, and, if
time lasts, long after we leave it into the innite,
eternal future, it will always be rst of all His
church, a church He established in the shadow of
His own cross, a church built for His mission, His
service, His worship.
Thomas Lemon is a general vice president of the General
Conference. He presented these remarks at a cross-cultural
workshop for ministry professionals in Linthicum, Maryland,
in January 2016.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
29
DISCOVER
SMARTPHONE CHURCH MANNERS

Sabbath keeping
in the media age
BY KIMBERLY LUSTE MARAN

30
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
ts Sabbath morning and Charisse Hernandez is ready. Sabbath dress, purse, and shoes
on, she grabs her keys from the
table and does a quick double
check for her iPhone before
climbing into her car and driving
to church.
Hernandez, an Adventist baby
boomer, lives in Puerto Rico to
be close to her ailing mother. For
her, having the smartphone is
necessary, and not only for emergency calls. I have my Bibles,
Spanish and English, on my
phone and I do use it to read a
verse or passage in English to
compare it with the Spanish version, she says. I also have different versions and sometimes I
compare texts, this helps me to
understand some things better.
According to research conducted by network experts Erics-
son, 6.1 billion smartphones will

be in use by 2020, an enormous
jump from the 2.6 billion smartphone users recorded in 2014.
The 6.1 billion phones represent
70 percent of the global population; Ericsson also estimates 90
percent of the populated world
will have high-speed mobile data
coverage by 2020.1
It isnt unusual to see Adventists walk into church clutching
their phones, or worshiping heads
down, eyes focused on the small
screens as the service proceeds.
I am usually looking up Scriptures or letting my kids hold my
phone to use the Bible apps,
says Chip Dizrd, a multitalented tech blogger from Baltimore, Maryland. I also may
respond to texts when they come
in, as I am in the media department for my church.
Useful tools, smartphones do
make convenient Bibles, and
can also help keep young children
engaged in church-appropriate
activities via apps, the ages new
Sabbath bags of coloring books,
Bible puzzles, and stories.
TOO MANY TEMPTATIONS?
Unfortunately, smartphone
usability doesnt stop there. Constantly connected to the world,
users can check sports team
scores, the latest CNN headlines,
or see delicious looking food
dishes made in about 30 seconds
la time lapse. Between Kardashian Instagram pictures, constant election- year Tweets,
BuzzFeed quizzes, and thousands of games, tempting distractions are literally a nger
swipe away.
We get distracted from God
just by living: money, hobbies,
relationships, media. Sometimes,
writes Fritz Chery, were consumed with our

technology all day, and we only acknowledge God
right before we go to sleep with a quick 20-second
prayer.2
We always need balance and time with God. But
Sabbath is special. Exodus 20:8-11 is clear: six days
for work; one day for Sabbath rest with God. It saves
us from the fate of seed sown among thorns where
the things of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth
and the desires for other things come in and choke
the word, making it unfruitful (Mark 4:19).
We need Sabbath time to refreshto both unplug
and rechargein order to live in a right way in
undivided devotion to the Lord (1 Cor. 7:35). We
also need distance from the smartphones potentially unending demands to achieve renewal and
discernment from God (see Rom. 12:2).
And while our use of handheld devices is the
most obvious offender, humanity has been dealing
with media distractions since the rst story was
written on papyrus.
NOT NEW, BUT MORE
Imagine the distraction when newspapers rst

printed daily news and people became connected
with their world at, for many, an affordable cost.
Or when radio shows kept listeners pinned to their
living room seats. Or when the 1950s brought TVs
into those living rooms, and the late 70s offered
computers that would, 20 years later, easily be
connected to a World Wide Web of streaming
information. The argument can be made that
Sabbath then, too, was under siege.
But at no other time in recorded history has
media access been so pervasive and obtrusive,
threatening to drown us in a vast and shoreless
sea of news and entertainment.
Thankfully, yesterdays practical ways of spiritual
survival still work today, if we undertake them
seriously and with much prayer. And, as The
Message paraphrases: Keep your eyes straight
ahead; ignore all sideshow distractions (Prov. 4:25).
TECH-FREE, REDUCED-TECH,
OR TECH-INTEGRATED SABBATH
In 2003, a small group of Jewish artists, writers,

lmmakers, and media professionals developed
The Sabbath Manifesto, a creative project designed
to encourage people to take a weekly day of rest
from their technology.3 They were hoping it would
help them slow down in an increasingly hectic

world. For some deliverance may require quitting
cold turkey, while others may be able to manage
a reduced-tech Sabbath, maybe restricting church
service involvement to use of a Bible or commentary app, and ignoring e-mail, checks, texting, or
tweeting.
If the kids watch Bible videos or nature programs on Sabbath, nd a way to bring it back to
Jesus and practical Christianity. Watch a video on
the good Samaritan? Afterward, devise a plan to
help those in need nearby. Play a Noahs ark game
app? Discuss its parallels to Christs second coming, or humanitys role in protecting Gods creatures. Read a story about the Last Supper? Talk
about why the Lords Supper is one of our Fundamental Beliefs. With a little planning and thought,
media can be used to bring us all closer to God.
STRIKE A BALANCE
Yes, there are ways to embrace media and

enhance Sabbath keeping: read Ellen G. White,
send out Happy Sabbath greetings. Hernandez
is careful to strike a balance with what she does
on Sabbath. I dont use my media for news on
Sabbath, with the exception of if there is bad
weather or something of that sort going on. News
can wait.
Tech savvy GenXer Dizrd, agrees. Im a huge
proponent of media, tech, and their benets, he
explains. There is a wealth of Sabbath-ready apps
that we can use to justify time spent on our personal devices.
But, he says, just as we disconnect from our
devices at night to ensure we gain the most from
our rest, wouldnt it be best to also reduce the
connection to our smart phones and tablets to
increase the benets we gain from experiencing
Gods nature and fellowshipping with other
believers?
1
Andy Boxall, The Number of Smartphone Users in the World Is
Expected to Reach a Giant 6.1 Billion by 2020, Digital Trends, June 3,
2015: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/
smartphone-users-number-6-1-billion-by-2020/#ixzz4AIMWitJk.
2
Distractions, Bible Reasons, June 13, 2015: http://biblereasons.com/
distractions/.
3
Brett and Kate McKay, On the Seventh-day, We Unplug: How and Why
to Take a Tech Sabbath, May 20, 2014, The Art of Manliness: http://www.
artofmanliness.com/2014/05/20/tech-sabbath/.
Kimberly Luste Maran is an assistant director of communication for the North American Division.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
31
DISCOVER
BY PETER N. LANDLESS
hortly after midnight on December 3, 1984,

in the city of Bhopal, India, a poisonous gas
cloud escaped from a pesticide factory. The
toxic gas covered an area of 30 square miles,
immediately killing thousands of people and
causing illness in many more. Experts believe that
as time went on, many more people eventually
perished as a result of this environmental disaster
and the severe air pollution that ensued.
Clean air is essential. It allows living creatures
to breathe and exist. It literally constitutes the
physical breath of life.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
LETS
CELEBRATE
AIR
A
is for Air,
the breath of life.
32
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
Atmospheric air comprises a mixture of gases:

20.98 percent oxygen (O2), 0.04 percent carbon
dioxide (CO2), 78.06 percent nitrogen (N2), and
0.92 percent inert (inactive) constituents such as
argon and helium. Oxygen is the vital component
of air that sustains life.
Breathing is the process that moves the air in
and out of the lungs and continues the cycle of
taking in oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.
This process takes in and exchanges approximately 20,000 liters of air daily. The body carries
approximately two quarts of oxygen in the lungs,
blood, and other tissues at any given time. Once
oxygen enters the lungs, it goes into the bloodstream by a process called diffusion. The heart
and circulatory system then pump the blood to
every tissue of the body, delivering life-giving
oxygen to tissues and cells.
If breathing stops, the bodys oxygen levels drop
dangerously low within minutes, leading to permanent brain damage, followed by death. Brain
cells begin to die within four minutes of oxygen
deprivation. We need oxygen for life, and pure
fresh air for health.
DONT SKIMP ON QUALITY
High-quality fresh air is pure and clean. The

life-giving oxygen molecules should be unpolluted. Deep breathing of fresh air imparts an
enhanced sense of well-being. It improves the
function of the lungs protective cilia. These are
the microscopic, ne, hairlike structures that help
to keep dust and ne particles as well as irritants
from entering the lungs. Good oxygenation lowers
the body temperature and resting heart rate, and
decreases the survival of certain bacteria and
viruses found in the air.

Fresh air is often destroyed and polluted. This
can occur through inadequate ventilation of dwellings, especially where open cooking res and
stoves are used. In cities the air in buildings is
often recirculated through air-conditioning systems, increasing the pollution from city smog,
tobacco smoke, and industrial and other pollutants. On the other hand, good-quality air usually
can be found in abundance in natural outdoor
environments, especially around trees (sometimes
called the lungs of the earth); green plants; mountains and forests; near moving water such as lakes,
oceans, rivers, and waterfalls; and after rainfall. Its
estimated that the algae in the ocean provide
almost 90 percent of the oxygen in our atmosphere, with the rest coming from land plants.
AIR POLLUTION
Polluted air is found in such places as airports,

on freeways, and in closed, poorly ventilated areas.
Polluted, smoke-lled air can be associated with
increased anxiety, migraine headaches, nausea,
vomiting, eye problems, irritability, and respiratory
congestion. The World Health Organization (WHO)
estimates that more than 2 million people die every
year from breathing in tiny pollutant particles
present in indoor and outdoor air pollution. These
tiny particles, called PM10 particles (10 micrometers or less), can penetrate the lungs and may enter
the bloodstream, causing heart disease, lung cancer,
asthma, and acute lower respiratory infections.
Some 6 million people, mostly children, die each
year from acute respiratory infections, complicated
particularly by indoor pollution often originating
from unvented or poorly vented cooking facilities.
In many cities the PM10 particle level is 15 times
above the recommended safety guidelines.
Children are frequently victims of secondhand
smoke (SHS) in homes in which adult family members smoke. These children have an increased risk
of suffering lower respiratory tract infections and

middle ear infections. Evidence also links tobacco
smoke pollution to increased sudden infant death
syndrome (SIDS). Adults exposed to SHS have an
increased risk of lung cancer. Smoke pollution in
the workplace increases the risk of nonsmokers
developing lung cancer by 16 to 19 percent.
WHAT TO DO?
What can we do to ensure that we get adequate

amounts of clean air and vital oxygen? Avoid
tobacco smoke and, as much as possible, stay out
of polluted environments. Avoid shallow breathing; take deep breaths and exercise regularly. This
helps us to take full advantage of the natural lung
capacity and prevents the lower parts of the lung
being underventilated. Take intentional breaks
during worktime to breathe deeplyoutdoors, if
possible. Good posture and deep breathing also
are helpful in obtaining optimal respiration, ventilation, and blood ow through the lungs.
We have the privilege and responsibility to ensure
that our body receives the purest, freshest air possible. We also need to care for the environment and
do all we can to prevent and minimize air pollution.
We cannot do this alone. We need the sustaining
power and grace of the loving creator God.
Ellen White wrote: In the matchless gift of His
Son, God has encircled the whole world with an
atmosphere of grace as real as the air which circulates around the globe. All who choose to breathe
this life-giving atmosphere will live and grow up to
the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.*
* Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press
Pub. Assn., 1956), p. 68.
Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear cardiologist, is director of the General Conference Health Ministries Department.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
33
Seminars Unlimited
ColorPress Evangelism
TOGETHER TO SERVE
ERVE YOU B
BETTE
BETTER
ETTER
R
Main Office
403 East Hwy 67, PO Box 66 Keene, TX 76059
817.641.3643 | 800.982.3344
Washington Office
Walla Walla, WA 509.525.6030 | 800.222.2145
INYL
R*
FBAREE
NNE
op
h
s
p
o
t
s
e
n
o
r
Printing,
Yo u
m
to
s
u
C
,
s
d
r
a
C
dy
s, Bible Stu
n
o
s
s
e
d more
L
n
r
a
a
.
in
.
.
m
e
s
S
p
,
s
-U
le
p
o
ib
B
anners and P Apply. Call with Code R A 7 1 6
B
,
ls
il
b
d
n
a
H
c
ti
rictions
Evangelis
dbill Order. Rest
*FREE 3x8 Custom Viny
l Banner with Han

I WAS WONDERING
A TOKEN OF CHRISTS LOVE AND POWER
THE PACKAGE
RELIGION AND HEALTH
CONNECT
Making Sabbath a Happy Day

How to happily keep the Sabbath holy
ommy, Sabbath is not a happy day, our 5-year-old son sadly said.
Our family had just sung at Friday sundown worship the song
Sabbath Is a Happy Day. Ivans unexpected, unhappy comment
jolted our Sabbath peace. As parents of two young children, we were
sobered and did some heart-searching to determine the cause and
remedy for unhappy Sabbaths. We longed for our son to change the
words to the song back to Sabbath is a happy day! We began a
journey to put in place some intentional measures to make that so.
BY MAY-ELLEN COLN
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
35
CONNECT
We were a pastoral family. Sabbaths were busy
and sometimes hectic days. Daddy was busy with
Sabbathy activities such as teaching, preaching,
leading worship, fellowship with church members,
meetings, and so forth. Our children and I were
brought into this busyness. Are not worshipping,
church services, and Christian fellowship part of
keeping Sabbath holy? Yes. But how could we
happily keep the Sabbath holy? After all, the Bible
doesnt say Remember the Sabbath day to keep
it gloomy.
Years later, when we were missionaries living
in Africa, my husband and I were presenting a
seminar on family spirituality in the African country of Rwanda. A young mother, struggling with
Sabbath observance, earnestly asked us how she
could make Sabbath a holy and happy experience
for her family. Others in the audience jumped in
and shared their searching questions and comments about the controversial, and sometimes
burdensome, issue of Sabbathkeeping.
These heartfelt questions created in me a desire
to delve even deeper into this issue, not only for
my own spiritual growth but also for my familys
sake, and for those who ask me about keeping the
Sabbath. That day in Rwanda was another step in
my quest to live the Sabbath joyfully and wholeheartedly. This experience actually put me on a
path that ultimately led me to study the practice
of the Sabbath across several cultures.1
In this study I sought for universal biblical
principles that are valid cross-culturally. Why? I
have lived in numerous cultures, and it was confusing. A variety of different practices are found
in various cultures. As I addressed passages in
Scripture that shed light on Sabbath observance,
however, I noted that universal Sabbathkeeping
principles emerged.2 For teaching purposes, I
listed them as 15 Guiding Principles for Sabbath
Observance (see sidebar). These principles are
relevant universally and can be applied and lived
out as rules for Sabbath practices in any culture.
They can serve as a toolbox from which to craft
a joyous and holy time with God and those
around you.
There is, of course, room in different cultures
for various practices, as long as the practices are
true to the principle that is being applied.
Actually, there is yet another level beyond the
principles from which rules are derived: Gods
36
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
character. Rules are not right only because they

reect a principle; they are right because they
reect the One we want to be like.3 For guidelines
on happy and holy Sabbaths, lets discuss four of
the 15 guiding principles:
CELEBRATING
Sabbathkeeping means celebrating the creation,

or birthday, of the world (see Gen. 2:1-3), and of
our redemption (see Deut. 5:15); therefore, its
atmosphere should be one of celebration, joy, and
delight (see Ps. 92; Isa. 58:13).
Celebration, a divine characteristic: God celebrates
and rejoices. He celebrated Creation (see Gen.
2:1-3; Prov. 8:27-31). He rejoices when people
come to Him (see Deut. 30:9; Isa. 62:5; Zeph. 3:17;
Luke 15). He will celebrate at the marriage supper
of the Lamb (Rev. 19:7-9). He is a source of joy (see
Ps. 43:4). Speaking of God, David said, In Your
presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are
pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11, NKJV).4 You
will nd your joy in the Lord (Isa. 58:14).
Acting on the principle of celebration: How could
we apply the principle of celebration to make
Ivans unhappy Sabbaths become happy and holy?
Its fun to try celebrating Sabbath with experiences that delight all ve senses. For example,
enjoy the Sabbath with a few of the following:
Sight: owers; special dishes; candles
Sound: music sung or played by family members
or played on the home stereo system; nature
sounds
Taste: special food; favorite foods
Touch: clean sheets; back rubs
Smell: bread baking on Friday afternoon; incense
or other room fragrances
Did I mention the word fun in connection with
celebrating Sabbath? Yes! Experiencing Sabbath
is celebrating the birthday of the world. Birthday
parties are fun. Except the Sabbath is a holy birthday party that focuses on God, for its all about
Him! He wants to spend time and celebrate with
each of us!
PREPARING
Sabbathkeeping means preparing for this special day so we can enjoy its benets (see Heb. 4:11;
Ex. 16:28-30; Luke 23:54-56).
Preparation, a divine characteristic: God is a preparer. He prepared the beautiful Garden of Eden
and the plan of salvation before He created

humankind and the Sabbath (see Gen. 1-2; Prov.
8:27-31; 1 Peter 1:20); He has prepared an inheritance for the redeemed, the kingdom prepared
since Creation (see Matt. 25:34); He has prepared
a place for us, a custom-made home in heaven
(see John 14:1-3); He will prepare the Holy City as
a bride adorned for her husband (see Rev. 21:2).
Acting on the principle of preparation: Even
though Friday is the special preparation day for
the Sabbath, we should prepare for the Sabbath
all through the week. On Friday let the preparation for the Sabbath be completed.5 We should
remember the Sabbath day all week because we
want to keep it holy when it comes.
Intentionality is a magic word in making
Sabbath a happy and holy day. Planning a happy
time during Sabbath starts before it comes. As my
husband and I became more intentional about
making Sabbath a happy day for our family, we
would use part of family worship time early in the
week to discuss our plans for the following Sabbath. We used a form entitled Our Sabbath Plan,
with blanks to ll in for meals and activities
throughout the Sabbath, including Friday evening,
Sabbath morning, afternoon, and evening.
Our children would make suggestions, and we

would record our decisions on the form. Sometimes my husband and I shared with the children
biblical principles for Sabbath observance to guide
them as they made their suggestions. We then
posted the lled-in form on our refrigerator, where
we could see it all week. When our children
planned Sabbath together, it built up anticipation
for that very special day.
Families with little children can do a Sabbath
countdown all week to help foster excitement
and anticipation. Tell the children every morning
Today is [Monday]. There are [ve] more days to
Sabbath. Then ask, What ideas do you have for
making Sabbath a happy day?
FELLOWSHIPPING
Sabbathkeeping means nurturing our relationships with family and friends (see Mark 1:29-31;
Luke 14:1). In the gift of the Sabbath, God provides
time for focused fellowship with the whole family,
even the family animals (see Ex. 20:8-11). Sabbath
and family go together (see Gen. 1:12:25; Lev.
19:3). This nurtures our horizontal relationships,
those with our fellow human beings.
Fellowshipping, a divine characteristic: Members
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
37
of the Godhead are relational (see John 15:15).

Gods relationship with us is the foundation of
our relationship with each other (see John 13:34,
35; 17:20-23). Jesus fellowshipped with others on
Sabbath (see Mark 1:29-31; Luke 14).
Acting on the principle of fellowshipping: After
Ivans proclamation that Sabbath was not a happy
day, my husband and I decided that no matter how
many appointments and obligations we had on a
given Sabbath, we needed to carve out some time
during the day to focus exclusively on the children, even if we could t in only 30 minutes. It
might be as simple as sitting on a blanket in our
yard or in a eld and reading them a story, or
looking at the sky and imagining what animals
the clouds looked like.
Remember: simple can still be special. We
would go on picnics/nature activities, and so forth;
and when fellowshipping with groups of Sabbathkeepers we reminded ourselves not to interact
just with the adults but to remember the children
and spend time with them. Our children have
grown up and left home, but we still try to call
38
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
them every Sabbath to continue that special Sabbath time we enjoyed with them so many years
ago. Family and Sabbath go together.
WORSHIPPING
Sabbathkeeping means participating in corporate, focused worship of God with our church
family (see Lev. 23:3; Isa. 56:1-8; 66:22, 23; Mark
1:21; 3:1-4; Luke 4:16; 13:10; Heb. 10:25; Rev. 14:7).
This nurtures both our vertical and our horizontal relationshipsthose with God and with
our fellow human beings.
Worship, as inspired by the divine: God desires
corporate worship (see Isa. 66:22, 23). Jesus
attended and led out in worship services while on
earth (see Luke 4:16).
Acting on the principle of worshipping: Its clear
that corporate worship is an important part of our
Sabbath experience. Were to be there not only
bodily but also mentally, emotionally, and spiritually emptied of our week and of ourselves. When
we are in the place of worship, it is all about Him,
not about us, whether we are preaching, listening,
or praising Him in song.
Sometimes families experience stress and
unhappy feelings toward each other when they
prepare to go to church on Sabbath morning. Some
have confessed that they ght on the way to
church and try to get their faces to switch from
frowns to smiles as they enter the church parking
lot. How can we avoid that scenario?
Our family decided to take deliberate measures
to keep the prechurch atmosphere happy. I put on
happy Sabbath music and sometimes sacred
music videos to create a positive atmosphere to
prepare our hearts and minds for worship. We
tried to rise early enough on Sabbath morning so
that we didnt feel unduly rushed. We had our
Sabbath clothes chosen and ready on Friday, and
we had a simple breakfast that didnt use many
dishes. (We found it best to dress young children
after breakfast!) When our children were small,
we reviewed their Sabbath School memory verses
while we ate breakfast. Sometimes we listened to
Your Story Hour or other Sabbath tapes while we
ate. We prayed for a Sabbath blessing and that we
would be ready to truly worship Jesus at church.
It is very special to worship God in church, sitting
together as a family. With Isaiah, parents can come
before God and say, Here am I, and the children
the Lord has given me (Isa. 8:18). Parents should

do all they can to make the worship experience a
happy, meaningful time. For young children, sermons might as well be preached in a foreign language, so bring Sabbath books and quiet activities
that can occupy that time. But even young children
can participate in prayer and singing, so use those
books and other activities only during the sermon.
Older children are better able to follow the sermon
and look for certain predetermined words the
preacher uses, look up the Bible texts quoted, and
so forth. You might want to nd out what hymns
will be sung during the coming worship service
and sing them with your children during the week
so they will enjoy singing them with the rest of the
congregation on Sabbath.
Parents can encourage their children to learn
to worship God and appreciate the church worship
service by having family worship during the week.
This special family time provides the opportunity
to sing, pray, and share feelings and meaningful
ideas from Gods Word at the childrens level. Keep
it short and simple. If your family worship fosters
good attitudes in your children, these attitudes
can carry over into the Sabbath worship hour.
When Jesus visits your home next Sabbath,
plan to make it so interesting to your family that
its weekly return will be hailed with joy.6
Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His
presence with singing. . . . Enter into His gates with
thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise
(Ps. 100:2-4, NKJV), for Sabbath is a happy day!7
1
May-Ellen N. Coln, Sabbathkeeping Practices and Factors Related
to These Practices Among Seventh-day Adventists in 51 Countries
(Ph.D. diss., Andrews University, 2003).
2
A principle is a broad, basic concept, permanent and unchangeable, a
law that underlies rules, action, behavior (Nancy Vyhmeister, Principles
[unpublished paper, Andrews University, n.d.], p. 24). A principle is larger
than a rule, and is a standard that may be applied to more than one type
of situation. A principle helps to explain the why behind a command.
3
For more details on this concept, see May-Ellen Coln, Of All the
Week the Best, Adventist Review, May 5, 2005.
4
Bible texts credited to NKJV are from the New King James Version.
Copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.
All rights reserved.
5
Ellen G. White, Child Guidance (Nashville: Southern Pub. Assn., 1954),
p. 528.
6
Ibid., p. 536.
7
For more principle-based insights on making Sabbath a happy day,
see May-Ellen Coln, From Sundown to Sundown: How to Keep the Sabbath and Enjoy It! (Boise, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2008).
May-Ellen Coln, Ph.D., is director of Adventist Community

Services International, General Conference, and special liaison for Community Services with ADRA International.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR

SABBATH OBSERVANCE
BY MAY-ELLEN COLN
he following are based on Gods character and

provide a foundation for Sabbath practices:
Preparing for this day to enjoy its benets.
Resting from work, lifes burdens, and secular
concerns and distractions.
Renewing: observing the day in a manner that
renews us physically, emotionally, mentally,
spiritually, and socially.
Healing: observing the day in such a way as to
foster healing, relief, release, liberation, and
refreshment. Any action that hurts oneself or
others is Sabbathbreaking.
Celebrating the creation, or birthday, of the world,
and of our redemption. Its atmosphere should
be one of celebration, joy, and delight.
Sanctifying: keeping the Sabbath day holy; setting
it apart for a special focus on God, His Word,
and His agenda, to seek intimacy with Him,
embrace Him wholly, and nurture a love relationship with Him that makes us holy.
Remembering, reecting, and rejoicing about
creation, redemption, and Christs second coming and the creation of the new earth.
Worshipping: participating in corporate, focused
worship of God with our church family.
Basking: enjoying, studying, experiencing, and
basking in the world God made, rather than
working at maintaining it.
Responding: a joyful human response to Gods
grace in obedience to His loving command to
remember Him and His Sabbath gift.
Trusting God to take care of what we leave undone
during the hours of the Sabbath. Learning to
depend on God rather than on ourselves.
Fellowshipping: nurturing our relationships with
family and friends.
Afrming: rightly representing the atmosphere of
the Sabbath by a spirit of acceptance, love, and
afrmation rather than a spirit of judgment and
criticism.
Serving other people in love and witnessing lovingly for God.
Caring for necessary physical needs on Sabbath;
no creatureanimal or humanshould be
allowed to suffer on this day.
For a fuller explanation of these principles, see May-Ellen Coln,
From Sundown to Sundown: How to Keep the Sabbath and Enjoy It!
(Boise, Idaho: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 2008).
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
39
CONNECT
I WAS
WONDERING
From time to time we will be

answering questions from our
readers. If you have a question
you want us to consider, send it to:
Letters@AdventistReview.org. Put in
the subject line Wondering.
My family recently entertained an out-of-town

friend. We took her to a restaurant for Sabbath
lunch and learned afterward that she felt uncomfortable about it. What do you think?
guess I would think of the Gospels Sabbath

stories, where religious authorities tried to set
rules for Jesus behavior because they didnt
appreciate that He is Lord of the Sabbath. Nobody
sets rules for Jesus. His aggressive holiness undid
all their sincere yet farcical restrictions imposed
on His day of fellowship (Matt. 12:1-8, 10-14;
Mark 2:23-28; Luke 14:1-6; John 5).
Long ago it came to me that my most helpful
focus vis--vis Sabbathkeeping would probably
not be Should I go out to eat? or Is splashing at
the beach safer than hiking in the hills? or
Should I buy gas on Sabbath? or Do I pay hotel
bills during Sabbath hours?
I decided to ask myself questions of another
sort. As I live with and for Jesus during the week
looking toward the day of holy rest, are my Sabbath
plans for me, or are they for others (my kids, neighbors, strangers, folk in need)? Is my particular
Sabbath activity for me, or is it for Jesus? How does
it get me closer to Jesus? How does it deepen our
mutual love and strengthen our relationship?
From Genesis forward the Sabbath is about how
we relate to awesome, unfathomable realities.
How shall we relate? Shall we be trapped in little,
human casuistry? Shall we shrug off the sacred
by making it as commonplace as possible? Shall
we allow our Lord to elevate us through special
communion?
After all, God established Sabbath as a weekly
privilege of deepening our relationship with the
innite. If we value that original privilege, sins
blight only heightens our longing for the kind of
exclusive intimacy with our Creator that He made
the Sabbath for. So the Sabbath becomes a precious memento of a time now lost, and a conrmation of our origins story.
Are you still there? I have two questions for you:
What did you tell your friend? What would you
tell her now?
Lael Caesar is an associate editor of Adventist Review. A longer

answer to this question is available at AdventistReview.org.
40
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
Can I go to a Sunday church if I dont get

anything out of my Sabbath church?
How can the Sabbath be a delight if I

cant do what I want on the Sabbath?
y heart goes out to you. It can be a difficult

situation to nd yourself in when the local
church (if you live in an area without several
Adventist options) is just not a good t for you
and your family. You may wonder: Does it even
matter? If Im worshipping the Lord and drawing
closer to Him, does Sabbath worship matter?
When I was in college (an Adventist one, mind
you), I dated a guy whose father was the pastor of
a Sundaykeeping congregation. At that point in
my life, despite the plethora of Adventist churches near me, I wondered
whether worshipping on Sabbath was
all that important.
So I went to church with the boyfriend on a Sunday and found the
congregation to be very nice and the
service to be not that different from
what I was used to. But I had a feeling
deep in my heart that I couldnt shake.
I had the clear sense that this day was
not the Sabbath of the Bible. That
peaceful feeling that came over me
on Friday evening after a long week
of school that carried over until Saturday evening was not there. So I
wrestled with the Bible and searched
it for anything I could nd about the Sabbath.
Long story short, I found reference after reference about the Sabbath being the day. My advice
to you is to search the Scriptures and Gods heart
to know what you should do. Hell speak to you
clearly. Be condent in that. There are also options
for worship such as online streaming of Adventist
services you could tune into to help you gain some
spiritual food on Sabbath.
At the end of the day, though, take this issue to
God. If youre willing to do what He asks of you,
Hell lead you accordingly.
erhaps your focus is off.

I didnt grow up Adventist, but some who
did often see the words cant and Sabbath
as being almost synonymous: No, you cant go
swimming today; its Sabbath. We cant go to
that community event today; its Sabbath. As a
parent, I personally found that instead of just
saying No, we cant do that, it helped make Sabbath more enjoyable for my daughter when I
added, But because its Sabbath, we get to do this.
Everyone has their own opinions
on what activities are appropriate for
Sabbath, but what helps me is keeping
in mind the principle that Sabbath is
a memorial of Creation that is based
on relationship, our relationship with
our Creator-God and with one another.
Life is busy for all of us, and sometimes its difficult to t in the time we
need for prayer and Bible study, playing with our children, having meaningful conversations with friends,
being involved in ministry. But on
Sabbath its different. Its a space in
time that helps to slow us down, and
provides us with opportunities for
spiritual growth and fellowship.
When we love someone, I dont think there is
anything more delightful than spending time
with that person. So isnt that what makes the
Sabbath a delight, that it provides an opportunity
to spend more time with those we love, especially
God? And it gives us a chance to be more involved
in service for others as well.
Sabbath gives us time. Time to stop and talk
with the homeless person on the street and share
an encouraging word. Time to affirm our children
in what they accomplished that week. Time to tell
our spouse that we love and appreciate them.
Time to stop in to the local humane society and
make a donation.
All these things we can do on the Sabbath. And
I cant think of too many things more delightful
than that!
From Genesis
forward the
Sabbath is about
how we relate
to awesome,
unfathomable
realities.
Your friend,
Wilona
Wilona Karimabadi is an assistant editor of Adventist Review.
Sandra Blackmer is an assistant editor of Adventist Review.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
41
CONNECT
he Sabbath was hallowed at the creation. As ordained for

[humanity], it had its origin when the morning stars sang
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy Job 38:7.
Peace brooded over the world; for earth was in harmony with heaven.
God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very
good; and He rested in the joy of His completed work. Genesis 1:31.
Because He had rested upon the Sabbath, God blessed the seventh day, and sanctied itset it apart to a holy use. He gave it to
Adam as a day of rest. It was a memorial of the work of creation,
and thus a sign of Gods power and His love. The Scripture says, He
hath made his wonderful works to be remembered. The things
that are made declare the invisible things of him since the creation
of the world, even His everlasting power and divinity. Genesis
2:3; Psalm 111:4; Romans 1:20, RV.2. . .
Since the Sabbath is a memorial of the work of creation, it is a
token of the love and power of Christ.
The Sabbath calls our thoughts to nature, and brings us into
communion with the Creator. In the song of the bird, the sighing
of the trees, and the music of the sea, we still may hear His voice
who talked with Adam in Eden in the cool of the day. And as we
behold His power in nature we nd comfort, for the word that
created all things is that which speaks life to the soul. . . .
The Sabbath was embodied in the law given from Sinai; but it
was not then rst made known as a day of rest. The people of Israel
had a knowledge of it before they came to Sinai. On the way thither
the Sabbath was kept. When some profaned it, the Lord reproved
them, saying, How long refuse ye to keep my commandments and
my laws? Exodus 16:28. . . .
The Sabbath was not for Israel merely, but for the world. It had
been made known to man in Eden, and, like the other precepts of
the Decalogue, it is of imperishable obligation. Of that law of which
the fourth commandment forms a part, Christ declares, Till heaven
and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the
law. So long as the heavens and the earth endure, the Sabbath will
continue as a sign of the Creators power. And when Eden shall
bloom on earth again, Gods holy rest day will be honored by all
beneath the sun. From one sabbath to another the inhabitants of
the gloried new earth shall go up to worship before me, saith the
Lord. Matthew 5:18; Isaiah 66:23. . . .
But in order to keep the Sabbath holy, [men and women] must
themselves be holy. Through faith they must become partakers of
the righteousness of Christ.
T
A TOKEN OF
CHRISTS
LOVE AND
POWER
The Sabbath isnt just
a day; its a symbol
of eternitypast,
present, and future.
BY ELLEN G. WHITE
1
2
Unless otherwise noted, Bible texts are from the King James Version.
Texts marked RV are from The Holy Bible, Revised Version, Oxford University Press, 1911.
This excerpt is taken from The Desire of Ages, pages 281-283. Seventh-day Adventists
believe that Ellen G. White (1827-1915) exercised the biblical gift of prophecy during
more than 70 years of public ministry.
42
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
THE PACKAGE
ts 5:00 p.m., and I have the privilege to
visit with a sweet little girl, Mandy, 5
years old. She has completed treatment, and after a long day of exams
Mandy has been labeled in remission.
I think of Mandy and smile: Mandy, who
has a memorable laugh and always asks
for hugs from the nurses. She is the happiest patient I have met.
I open my front door and grab my
umbrella. Out of the corner of my eye I
see a scarf hanging from a peg next to the
door, a gift from my mother. I take it and
wrap it around my neck.
I carry a teddy bear to Room 405. Mandys mother is putting socks on Mandys
little feet. Mandy jumps off the bed and
gives me a tight hug. I hand her the teddy
bear. Her eyes light up. She takes a BandAid from a rst-aid kit, placing it on the
bears right arm. She explains: This is
Happy Bear. Even with a Band-Aid he
knows it will be OK, and he is happy!
She laughs.
Back on her bed, Mandy is talking to
the teddy bear, explaining that they are
both getting out of there today. I speak to
Mandys mom as we wait for the doctor
to discharge her. There is joy in the room.
Our heavenly Father will keep Mandy in
His arms, safe.
The doctor arrives, chart in hand to
speak with the parents while I listen to
Mandy. There are goldsh, bunnies, and
owers she needs to tend at home. She
will play dolls with her sister. I hear the
happy moments she anticipates and real-
ize I need to do that more: focus on Gods

gift of life and care.
An orderly arrives with a wheelchair:
Time to go home, little one.
As I help Mandy into the wheelchair
she touches my scarf. Its the softest fabric she has touched. I take my scarf off
and tie it around her neck. Here you go.
She gently touches the scarf to her cheek.
She smiles, hugs me, and whispers: I
didnt have a scarf; now I do.
I watch them drive away
and among tears blow a kiss
at Mandy.
As I run through the rain

to collect my mail, my neighbor calls to me from her
porch. Mail was delivered
early, and the carrier left a
package at my door. She
picked it up so it wouldnt
A NOTE FALLS OUT:
get wet. I glance at the sendI SAW THESE AND
ers name: Carolyn Sutton.
THOUGHT OF YOU.
Carolyn? I have written short
pieces for the womens devotional she works on. I have
never met her in person, but
she has become a dear friend. We e-mail,
share prayer requests, and share ongoing
events in our life.
In my room I open the package. A note
falls out: I saw these and thought of you.
I look into the package. Inside, carefully
folded, are two beautiful scarfs.
Today the Holy Spirit was present in
Mandys room. Days earlier the Holy
Spirit inspired Carolyn to send these and
let them arrive today. I hold the scarfs to
my face and say a prayer of gratitude.
SEARCHING
THE OBVIOUS
DIXIL
RODRIGUEZ
Dixil Rodrguez, a university professor and volunteer hospital chaplain, lives in Texas.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
43
CONNECT
HOUSE CALL
PETER N. LANDLESS
RELIGION AND HEALTH

Does it make a difference?
We hear much about rest and healthful
living. We Seventh-day Adventists emphasize Sabbath rest. Does religion affect our
health, or is it just the lifestyle practice that
makes the difference?
Q:
Religious practices inuence health outcomes. Much has been written in the health
science and sociological literature about spirituality and health. Spirituality is difficult to measure,
and religiosity may then be used as the indicator
of spirituality. Religiosity may be characterized by
taking religious rest days (e.g., the Sabbath), or
following dietary and even dress rules and
requirements.
For us to be rested and productive we need both
a weekly and an annual rest. In Britain during
World War I increased productivity was attempted
by continuous, nonstop work schedules. It was
later recognized, however, that by reducing the
workweek to 48 hours and requiring one day of
rest per week, productivity increased by 15 percent. During World War II Winston Churchill
announced, If we are to win this war it will be by
staying power. For this reason we must have one
holiday per week and one week holiday per year.
That was voted into law!
We humans have limitations. We cannot work
without regular times of rest and still maintain a
wholistically healthy, happy, and productive life.
We need daily rest, weekly rest, and annual breaks
in order to enjoy optimal physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health.
Seventh-day Adventists often attribute the
Adventist health advantage to the dietary inuence of a balanced vegetarian diet and our abstaining from the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other
harmful substances. These are indeed benecial
health practices. It is interesting to note, however,
that the Adventist Religion and Health Study
A:
44
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
(ARHS), a sub-study of the current and ongoing

Adventist Health Study 2 (AHS2), has shown that
Sabbathkeeping is associated with better mental
and physical quality of life. Data analysis shows
that Adventists enrolled in the study who engaged
in secular activities on Sabbath had poorer
reported physical health. Additionally, those who
said that keeping the Sabbath relieved tensions
and promoted feelings of calm and peace also
reported better mental health.
Recently, a robust study (74,534 subjects)1 was
published showing a period of 16 years of follow-up during which women who attended regular
church services had signicant protection against
death from all causes (all-cause mortality), compared to those who never attended. Those who
attended more than once per week had the highest
benet. Results were consistent across different
race and ethnicity groups. The inuence on cardiovascular and cancer deaths was especially
remarkable. Religion most certainly affects health
outcomes!
Years ago the Adventist Church was blessed
with the following instruction: Faith in Gods love
and overruling providence lightens the burdens
of anxiety and care. It lls the heart with joy and
contentment in the highest or the lowliest lot.
Religion tends directly to promote health, to
lengthen life, and to heighten our enjoyment of
all its blessings.2
Besides Sabbath services, it appears compelling
to attend and support the regular prayer meeting.
It may even make the difference between life and
death!
1
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), Intern Med.
doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2016.1615. Published online May 16, 2016.
2
Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific
Press Pub. Assn., 1890), p. 600.
Peter N. Landless, a board-certified nuclear cardiologist, is

director of the General Conference Health Ministries
Department.

MAKING THE SABBATH A DELIGHT
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
ATHLETES AND SABBATHKEEPERS
SATURDAY MORNING SPELLING BEE
YOUR PERSONAL SABBATH
I AM NOT AFRAID
ENGAGE
COUNTDOWN
TO SABBATH
One of the best things about Sabbath
is the memories it creates.
BY JAZZMIN PRIDE
o! Its sundown in like 10 seconds! my brother

Jeffrey shouted into a crowd of young people.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, ve, four, three, two,
one! Yea! We all screamed for joy. Then it started: the
barrage of questions.
Mom, can you take me to my basketball game?
Jeffery asked. Cause Im already kind of late.
Oh, and Mom, can I take the car to meet up with
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
45
my friends? I had to throw my question into the

mix.
Dad, can my girlfriend come over? my brother
James inquired.
Hold up! Wait just a minute, Mom said just
loud enough for all six of her energetic, excited
children to hear. The sun just set, and the Sabbath
only technically ended about a minute ago. Why
are you all in such a rush to get the Sabbath over
with?
REMEMBERING THE SABBATH
That simple question Mom asked years ago hit

me like a bag of bricks, and it still plagues me. I
recently asked myself, Why was I so excited to see
the end of the Sabbath? For welcoming the Sabbath
for me, for all the family, in fact, used to be a deeply
satisfying experience. As I lay on my bed, I began
to think and remember. My long-term memory is
vivid, and it seemed as if I stood in my yellow
childhood home, seeing the hustle and bustle of
my large family.
I could hear the sounds of the stove, Charity the
cats meow, my moms laughter in the herb garden,
and my fathers eclectic playlist of music wafting
through the vents. Interrupting my reminiscing,
my sisters voice seemed to yell from the brightyellow-and-green kitchen. Its time to eat!"
The house rumbled with activity at those words.
Everyone erupted from their personal activities
and crowded into the same tiny, middle bathroom.
I had to be patient, because already a long line
As worship came to an end we

had to sing one more song:
Moms all-time favorite.
46
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
had formed in front of me, consisting of my sweaty

brother who had just won another game of basketball against our tall, super-skinny neighbor;
my sister whod been playing with the cat and was
now covered in cat hair; my two brothers who had
been running through our woods and had ngernails full of dirt and stank to high heaven. Dad
also sauntered in, telling us to quit playing with
the soap.
Since I was last in line, I wiped the countertop
with a towel, clicked off the light, and headed into
the kitchen. The aroma of chili beans and the sight
of my frazzled family sitting at the table all awaiting my arrival so the feast could begin made me
smile. I sat at my usual place, at the very right of
the bench nearest to Dad.
As I sat down I heard the ick of the match
against the box and the slight hiss of the ame.
The scent of the candle and the sound of silence
fell over the whole table. My Moms beautiful alto
voice started the chorus of the song we all knew
by heart: Welcome, welcome, ever welcome,
blessed Sabbath day. Dads bass echoed hers, and
we all joined in singing the beautiful chorus. Then
I sang a song I had written to the tune of Happy
Birthday. Happy celebration to Jesus, happy
celebration to Jesus, happy celebration to Jesus,
happy celebration to Jesus! Fancy, huh?
SABBATH VOICES
After a slight pause, everyone around the table

burst to life.
Jazzmin, can you serve the beans?
Jonathan, pass the salsa, onions, and olives,
please.
James! Dont take that many olives!
I remembered the chaotic commotion that was
my family. I recalled the great debates and deep
conversations wed had on Friday nights around
that table. We talked about nal events, our days,
school, people; we even debated facts about the
Bible. We laughed, told jokes, and sometimes
cried. Then wed all get up and wash dishes, argue
about whose turn it was, and sweep the oor.
After all the cleaning was done, wed meet in
the living room for worship. Id sit at the brown,
slightly off-key piano, crack open the hymnal, and
nd Marching to Zion. We all began to lift our
voices in song. When we got to the second verse,
Mom would scuff in with her big, annoying slip-
The author (top) poses

with her family, who
provided the foundation
for her understanding of
the Sabbath.
I smiled at his line of continual questioning. Jonathan

tinu
could be a persistent young
coul
man.
man
A FAV
FAVORITE DAY, A
FAVO
FAVORITE
PERSON
pers. Shed smell of lotion and look super-comfy

in her pink-and-white-striped robe. Shed take her
seat next to Dad, hed throw his arm around her,
and wed begin to sing the third verse: The hill
of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets.
After that song, I gave up the coveted piano
bench and let my brother play his favorite song:
Worthy, Worthy Is the Lamb. When the music
drifted to an end, my sister offered a prayer, asking
the Holy Spirit to dwell with us and give us understanding. We all repeated the fourth commandment and acted out the motions Id come up with
to remember the words: Remember the sabbath
day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and
do all thy work. . . . Wherefore the Lord blessed the
sabbath day, and hallowed it (Ex. 20:8-11, KJV).
Then Dads soothing voice began reading the
Bible or a devotional book. I sat by the tall glass
doors facing the couch so I could look at my family.
My siblings and I threw weird faces at each other,
trying not to laugh. I wondered whether my
brother Jonathan would ask a question, because
he always did; and, as I predicted, his hand oftenshot up.
As worship came to an end

we ha
had to sing one more song,
Moms all-time favorite, Now
Mom
Day Is Over: Now the day
the D
is ove
over, night is drawing nigh,
shadows of the evening steal
shado
across the sky.
When the last note of the very last verse ended,
my fathers voice lled the room asking God for
forgiveness and for protection over us as we sleep,
and thanking Him for giving us the Sabbath so
we could come apart and worship Him.
I felt at peace. A wave of safety, security, and
happiness washed over me.
Thats what Sabbath was all about, about taking
time out to spend with my Creator, the one who
designed my unique personality; the one who
never let me go hungry; the one who always helps
me fall asleep; the one who wakes me up every
morning. This Person created not just me but the
entire universe: the planets, oxygen, elephants,
ants, cheetahs, owers, stars, everything.
God wants to meet with me. All He wants is 24
hours of my precious time to cast my cares upon
Him. Thats what Sabbath is all about.
Jazzmin Joy Pride is a senior elementary education major at
Oakwood University in Huntsville Alabama. She loves to create with her hands, camp out in nature, and experiment with
vegan cuisine.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
47
ENGAGE
Help your kids really believe that

Sabbath is a happy day.
BY LINDA MEI LIN KOH
MAKING
THE
SABBATH
A DELIGHT
48
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
or many children, Sabbath is a

day of donts: dont ride your
b
ic
bicycle,
dont watch TV, dont go
sw
swimming, etc. These rules are
oft
often misinterpreted as dont
ha
have fun. And for so many childr
d
dren, that sounds like a really
b
o
boring
Sabbath!
W
We should know better. Do we
rreally
ea think God intends for His
sp
special day to be boring?
In Isaiah 58:13 the Sabbath is called a delight.

Is the Sabbath really a delight for you and your
children? It may be that keeping the Sabbath holy
means simply going to church faithfully and
abstaining from work and personal pleasures. But
what about looking at the Sabbath day as a day
to delight in the Lord?
Jesus said: The Sabbath was made for man, not
man for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). The Sabbath is
Gods gift to us, giving us rest from our rigorous
labor, and the opportunity to renew our physical,
emotional, and spiritual health. God gave us this
day, not for our own amusement, but rather as a
day to enjoy His creation as we rest from our daily
duties, not just to sleep in or be dog-tired.
We can involve all the members of our families
in celebrating Gods special Sabbath by helping our
children to view this sacred day as a real delight.
Lets make it fun and memorable, a day our children
look forward to. Ellen White reminds us, The Sabbathoh!make it the sweetest, the most blessed
day of the whole week.1 Parents, above everything
take care of your children upon the Sabbath.2
Here are some ways to do exactly that.
CREATE SABBATH TRADITIONS
Each family can have fun welcoming the Sabbath

on Friday evening. Have the children make a special
banner that says Our Special Day With God and
hang it up. Use a special Sabbath tablecloth and light
a family candle to create a cozy atmosphere. Join
hands in singing and welcoming the holy Sabbath.
Cook a traditional meal that is served only for welcoming the Sabbath. Children can choose to sing a
particular song for the occasion as well. In my family
our Sabbath song was Day Is Dying in the West.
ENJOY BIBLE ACTIVITIES
Get children involved in Bible games, quizzes,

and puzzles to learn more about God. Use table
games, such as Bible Trivia, Bible Monopoly, and
others. But its even better if your children and
teens create their own games. Play together with
them, and youll be amazed how adults and children can turn the day into a delight.
EXPLORE NATURE
The heavens declare the glory of God (Ps. 19:1).

Children can learn a lot from nature. Knowing God
through nature is fun, satisfying, and exciting. Go
on Sabbath hikes and walks to experience the

colors and variety of shapes and sizes of trees and
ower. Listen to the music of the wind in the rustle
of leaves, and the songs of birds. Smell the odor
of pine, the smell of new-cut grass, the fragrance
of roses and jasmine. Feel the texture of tree bark,
the softness of leaves on plants moist with dew.
At the end, see how many types of owers, plants,
and birds they have identied, smelled, touched,
or heard. Look in the Bible to nd these nature
nuggets.
You can also organize more active activities,
such as a Bible treasure hunt, or have the children
build dioramas of Bible stories using materials
they nd in the woods. Kids love adventure and
lots of movement.
REACH OUT IN LOVE ACTIVITIES
Children love to serve and help others. Involve

them in visiting those who are elderly, singing
songs to cheer them up. They can gift-wrap toys
and other items to give to children in need. Make
and decorate cards to send to children whose
parents are in prison. Use the resources available
to you to help your children connect with real
service opportunities.
DIG DEEP INTO BIBLE STUDIES
Sabbath is the best time to dig into the Scriptures. Get children to underline key texts in the
Bible. Then make a printable page where they can
answer questions such as who, what, when, where,
and why on the key texts they are studying. Discuss how they can apply that to their lives. Older
children can learn to write their thoughts and
feelings in journals. Journaling is a great way to
meditate on Gods Word and express our thoughts.
Theres really no secret to making Sabbath a
delight. But it does require intentionality. Ellen
White strongly urges us, Parents, make the Sabbath a delight, that your children may look forward to it and have a welcome in their hearts for
it.3 We can train our children to not merely endure
the Sabbath, but to really enjoy it!
1
Ellen G. White, Child Guidance (Nashville: Southern Pub. Assn., 1954),
p. 532.
2 Ibid., p. 533.
3
Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, Calif.:
Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948), vol. 2, p. 585.
Linda Mei Lin Koh is director of Childrens Ministries for the

General Conference.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
49
SABBATH IMPORTANCE OVER TIME
In the United States since 1978, the importance of having

a specic day of worship has dropped by 24 percent.
Does Sunday* have any particular religious or spiritual meaning for you?
1978 (GALLUP)
74%
50%
2016 (Y2)
SABBATH IMPORTANCE BY GENERATION
Sabbath importance has declined with each generation.

Question: Does Sunday* have any particular religious or spiritual meaning for you?
Those who responded yes:
SILENT GENERATION
58%
BABY BOOMERS
56%
GENERATION X
51%
MILLENNIALS
41%
7%
38%
4%
To what extent
do you agree or
disagree with the
following statement:
It is important for society
to have a day of the week
set aside for spiritual
rest?
STRONGLY AGREE
SOMEWHAT AGREE
27%
NEITHER AGREE OR DISAGREE

SOMEWHAT DISAGREE
STRONGLY DISAGREE
24%
1978 (GALLUP)
2016 (Y2)
SUNDAY* ACTIVITIES, 1978 AND NOW

Work in or around the home
Work at a full-time or part-time job
Visit friends, neighbors, or relatives
Take rest and relaxation
Spend time in religious meditation
Read the Bible or other religious texts
Pray other than at church
Participate in sports or outdoor activities
Go shopping
Attend church
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
* Panelists who self-identified as Jewish, Seventh-day Adventist, or Muslim responded in terms of their own convictions concerning a
particular day of worship.
Gallup 1978 asked about part-time and full-time work separately. Responses are combined here.
Gallup 1978 wording did not include other religious texts.
The study that produced these results was conducted by YouGov and Y2 Analytics for the Deseret News in Salt Lake City, Utah, which is
owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
50
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
80%
THE REVELATION
OF JESUS CHRIST:
A CHRONOLOGY
efore we study the trees, it sometimes
helps to y over the forest.
Scene 1: Patmos, A.D. 95. John is
caught up in the Spirit and shown a
vision of the second coming of Jesus
Christ (Rev. 1). John is then visited by the
gloried Christ, who gives John personalized messages for the seven churches
of Asia Minor (Rev. 2-3).
Scene 2: Heaven, A.D. 90. John is
invited to the throne room of heaven,
where hes shown God the Father, God
the Holy Spirit, 24 redeemed humans,
and four mighty cherubim (Rev. 4). John
weeps when no one is found worthy to
open a seven-sealed scroll, representing
the ownership of humanity (Rev. 5).
Given birth by a woman, Christ defeats
Satan in a war in heaven (see Rev. 12:7),
enters the throne room, and takes the
scroll (Rev. 5), and unleashes the Holy
Spirit on earth at Pentecost (John 7:39;
Acts 2). Cast out of heaven, Satan sets his
sights on the woman and her offspring:
those who obey Gods commandments
and testify of Jesus (Rev. 12:17).
Scene 3: Earth, A.D. 30 to the last days.
Christ opens the seven seals: a mixed
history of Christianity from A.D. 30 to the
Second Coming (Rev. 6-7). A blasphemous
beast out of the sea steals worship from
Christ and is empowered by a deceptive
beast out of the earth (see Rev. 13).
Meanwhile, with the trumpet warnings
of judgment (Rev. 8-9), Christ calls the
world to turn to Him. An angel hands
John a little scroll and tells him to prophesy again about many peoples, nations,
languages, and kings (Rev. 10:11).
Scene 4: Earths last days. In response

to the beasts from the sea and earth,
Christ sends three angels with three endtime messages: (1) worship God, (2) Babylon has fallen, (3) remain faithful (Rev.
14). In contrast to the woman in the desert (Rev. 12:4-6), John is shown a scarlet
woman and is greatly astonished" (Rev.
17:6). The name on her forehead says it
all: Babylon the Great. Christ calls His
people to come out of her (Rev. 18:4).
Scene 5: Earths last hours.
The seventh angel sounds his
trumpet (Rev. 11:15), Gods
temple is opened (verse 19),
and God unleashes the seven
final plagues, which, like
Egypts plagues, harm only
unbelievers (Rev. 15-16).
THOSE WHO
Scene 6: Heaven. Gods
ACCEPTED CHRIST
people celebrate the wedding
supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19),
ARE NOT JUDGED
while Satan is bound for
BY THEIR WORKS;
1,000 years on earth (Rev.
THEIR NAMES ARE
20). At the great white throne,
WRITTEN IN THE
books are opened. Those
BOOK OF LIFE.
who didnt accept Christ are
judged by their works. Those
who accepted Christ are not judged by
their works; their names are written in
the book of life (Rev. 20).
Scene 7: The new earth. God and His
people return to the earth made new
(Rev. 21-22). The New Jerusalem is 1,400
miles long, wide, and high: a perfect cube,
like the Most Holy Place. Those who wash
their robes have the right to the tree of
life and may go through the gates into
the city (Rev. 22:14). He who testies
to these things says, Yes, I am coming
soon (verse 20).
THE LIFE
OF FAITH
ANDY
NASH
Andy Nash (andynash5@gmail.com) is an author

and professor. He leads study tours to Israel every
summer.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
51
ENGAGE
ATHLETES AND SABBATH-KEEPERS
SOCCER PLAYER REFUSES

TO PLAY ON SABBATH
Brazils player of the year says
he chooses God over career.
BY CAROLINA FLIX, SOUTH AMERICAN DIVISION
n up-and-coming soccer goalkeeper stirred up

Brazils sporting world by announcing that he
would no longer play matches scheduled from
sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
Carlos Vtor da Costa Ressurreio, 30, was
baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church
in December 2015.
Ressurreio made a number of important saves
in the past year that moved his Londrina Esporte
Clube up from Series C to Series B in the Brazilian
National Championship, the main soccer league
championship in the country. Ressurreio was
named player of the year, resulting in a job offer
from Serie A team Chapecoense, which would
have doubled his salary.
Ressurreio turned down the job because it
wouldnt have allowed him to observe the seventh-day Sabbath as mandated by the fourth
commandment, according to the newspaper Lance!
Moreover, Ressurreios future is up in the air
because a number of Serie B matches are held on
Friday nights and Saturdays. His team did not
renew his contract when it ended in May.
A year before his baptism, he said, he spent four
months at home in Salvador, in the state of Bahia,
52
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
without a signed contract with any team. During

that time, his wife, Gabriela, was approached by
a friend at a hair salon and offered a partnership
in producing handbags. The two women subsequently created their own label and formed a
business that grew quickly, Ressurreio said.
In a short amount of time, the prot grew larger
than my salary had been in the soccer club, he
said. That was the moment I understood that God
had several possible ways to care for my family.
After this realization, Ressurreio set aside his
fears about not being able to land a soccer contract
and began a process he called intimacy with God.
He started to study the Bible and pray every day.
As he studied, Ressurreio became convinced
that his mother-in-law, Tnia Rocha, a Seventh-day
Adventist, had been right when she had told him
about the Sabbath 12 years earlier. He was baptized on December 27.
The uncertainties that Ressurreio now faces
may be as daunting as those that he had when he
didnt have a soccer contract a year ago. But he
expressed calmness about the future when a
reporter asked him at the news conference
whether he was prepared to choose between his
faith and his career.
Without doubt, I choose my faith, he said.
Many others came before me, giving me this
opportunity to choose.
Im at peace because my life is in the hands of
God, he said. As long as there are teams that
respect my beliefs, sports will always be an option.
If not, the Lord has already shown me in the past
that He will take care of me.
To see the video interviews,

visit AdventistReview.org/ARtv.
ADVENTISTS KEEP
SABBATH, RUN FRIDAY
The worlds most beautiful marathon
is a witnessing opportunity.
BY STEPHEN CHAVEZ, ADVENTIST REVIEW
he Two Oceans Ultra-marathon, billed as the

worlds most beautiful marathon, is also an
opportunity for Adventists in South Africa to
demonstrate their commitment to Gods seventh-day Sabbath.
For the past 27 years, Eric Webster, a retired
Adventist pastor and editor, has worked with
organizers of the Old Mutual Two Oceans Marathon (OMTOM) to allow Adventists, and others
who have religious convictions about running on
Saturday, to run on Friday, the day before the
actual race. All those who compete on Friday have
their times included in the overall list of results,
as if they competed with everyone else.
The competitors who run on Friday typically
number several dozen. We always start with
prayer, says Webster, who began running marathons at the age of 60. I havent missed one [in
27 years].
To call the OMTOM a marathon is a bit of a
misnomer. An official marathon is 26.2 miles
(42 kilometers). The OMTOM is actually an
ultra-marathon, 34.8 miles (56 kilometers). A
half-marathon, 13.1 miles (21 kilometers), is also

part of the weekend competition, and Adventists
participate in that distance as well.
This has been a testimony to the importance
of the Sabbath, says Webster. Many people along
the course ask, Why are you running today? Isnt
the race tomorrow? In many ways its been a good
witness.
In addition to providing runners for the Friday
races, Adventists also volunteer as course marshals, and staff aid stations along the course.
Runners from around the world come to run
the OMTOM. The races are run on South Africas
Cape Peninsula, and begin on the Indian Ocean
side of the cape. Runners then run through several
communities on the Atlantic Ocean side of the
cape before nishing at the campus of the University of Cape Town. More than 25,000 runners
compete each year in one of the two races.
In a 2008 interview, Webster credited running
with helping him in his career by giving him
energy and time to think creatively. It has been a
great blessing for my physical, mental, and spiritual health, he told Spectrum.
Webster credits the Adventist health message
along with the Sabbathfor the balance most
Adventists enjoy. Ive always felt that the Sabbath
has been a real blessing to us; to be able to rest that
day, to lay aside our usual business activities, to
concentrate on the Lord and spend time with Christ,
who is the head of our faith. To spend time with
Jesus is a wonderful experience.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
53
TEENIE FINLEYS FALAFELS AND STRAWBERRY PIE

Who are we kidding? On Sabbath we like to eat!
FALAFELS
1 cups dried garbanzos, rinsed
cup our
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon chopped or ground
coriander leaves
cup nely chopped dried parsley
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
olive oil
Cover garbanzos in our.

Soak overnight. Grind
garbanzos in a blender
until ne. Add spices and
our. Roll into small balls
about 1 inch in diameter.
Flatten with a fork. Saut
on both sides until golden
brown.
AR Notes: If you want to picnic with these, they make a great sandwich lling for pita bread with fresh veggies, hummus, etc. If you
would like to serve them as part of a more formal sit-down meal, tabbouleh, hummus, stuffed grape leaves, and a fresh salad work well
with themperhaps on your nice china.
FRESH STRAWBERRY PIE

5 cups small strawberries divided
1 cups white grape juice
to cup brown sugar
cup cornstarch or tapioca
our
recipe wheat-germ piecrust
(see below), baked
Teenies Note: Use fresh peaches
for fresh peach pie or blueberries for fresh blueberry pie.
art of the delight of Sabbath is special meals: family favorites, new recipes
tested for the rst time, and
avors that ll the kitchen
with great smells!
Ernestine Teenie Finley
graciously shared her recipe
for falafels and strawberry pie
with us. The falafels are
yummy Middle Eastern treats
are full of protein and ber
and can work well for an informal picnic lunch or an indoor
sit-down meal. And the strawberry pie is just a great summer dessert (or any time of the
year if you can get nice
strawberries).
Quarter 3 cups of the strawberries. Place in saucepan with

white grape juice. Add brown
sugar and cornstarch or tapioca
our. Simmer over medium heat
for about 10 minutes until glaze
thickens. Add remaining fresh
whole strawberries to glaze.
Pour into baked pie shell. Chill
and serve.
WHEAT-GERM PIECRUST
2 cups unbleached white our
cups wheat germ
1 teaspoon salt
cup boiling water
cup light olive oil
Mix our, wheat germ, and

nd salt.
Add water and oil all at once.
c Stir
ce.
with a fork. Roll between
n two
sheets of wax paper.
r.
Remove top wax paper. Layy
crust-side down on pie pan.
n.
Remove wax paper. Flute
utte
edges. Prick pastry with a fork
f
to
prevent puffing while b
baking.
aking.
Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes.
uttes.
*Reprinted with permission of Teenie Finley. Cookbook published by Pacific Press Publishing Association.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
55
ENGAGE
Julie in
eighth grade
SATURDAY MORNING
SPELLING BEE
When Julie qualied for the

regional competition once again,
her mother, Barbara, contacted
the Herald-Whig, asking that the
date be changed to a day other
than Saturday so that Julie could
compete. Initial responses were
not encouraging. Phone calls
and letters went back and forth.
Newspaper staff suggested, Perhaps you can get a dispensation
from your pastor.
As time went on the only
response from the newspaper
was that it was too late to change
that years date. With that, the
familys expectations and hopes
for Julie to participate vanished.
One family member said, If she
were my child, she would be in
the competition, Saturday or no
Saturday.
CHANGING MINDS
Remaining faithful
was never an issue.
BY LESTER RAMSEY
56
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
uring elementary and junior

high school Julie Ramsey
won the local spelling competition three out of four years.
That qualied her, at age 11, to
compete in the regional Quincy
(Illinois) Herald-Whig Spelling
Bee.
But therein lay a problem: For
the previous 10 years the competition had been held on a Saturday morning . For most
students, parents, and newspaper staff, Saturday morning was
an ideal time for a spelling bee.
But for Julie, who attended the
Seventh-day Adventist Church
in Carthage, Illinois, Saturday
morning was always a time to
worship her God and Creator.
It seemed as though the Sabbath was an insurmountable
obstacle on Julies path to participate in the Scripps Howard
National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C.
Behind the scenes the Lord

began to move people and
events. The first break came
with the following announcement from the newspaper: The
Herald-Whig Regional Spelling
Bee will be moving to an evening format for the rst time
this year. This change is in
response to a request that we
hold the bee on a day other than
a Saturday. Because it conicts
with the observance of a religious Sabbath day, some students have never had the
opportunity to participate at the
regional level.
Julies mother wrote to the
newspaper editor: Thank you
so much for moving the Herald-Whig spelling bee to a weeknight. My daughter, Julie, was
unable to compete twice
because the date of the bee was
always on our Sabbath. I do not
know whether she will qualify
this year (she has been working very hard), but

whether she does or not, we wish to thank you
for at least giving her the opportunity. . . . It makes
me feel blessed to live in a country . . . where
people accept and help others, even if their beliefs
are different from their own.
LEARNING WORDS
ica. The Lord had a blessing for those who honor

Him and keep His commandments.
Julies reaction: Im very surprised.
Julies teacher, Pam Thill, said, She worked very
hard. She really deserved it. She works hard at
everything she does. Julie was a straight-A student, and was also active in basketball, volleyball,
track, and band.
The Lord had solved one problem, but many

more remained. Each contestant was given a list
ON TO D.C.
of about 3,000 spelling words. They ranged from
After the competition, Julies mother asked Sue
easy to undened and unlisted in most college
Welch, Quincy Herald-Whig Spelling Bee coordidictionaries, such as otorhinolaryngology, bournator, if she realized that Julie was the participant
geoisie, or basilisk. Barb and Julie spent hours
for which the date had been changed. Welch
on the list, as many as seven hours some answered, Yes, I do. And the hairs are still standSundays.
ing up on the back of my neck!
Her family prayed, and for the third time Julie
Headlines in the Herald-Whig said it all, Basco
qualied by winning the Warsaw Junior High
girl wins regional spelling bee! Julie Ramsey had
School Championship.
qualied twice before but didnt compete because
On the night of regional competition, the family the event was held on her churchs Sabbath.
paused for a nal prayer in their
At school the next day banners
car before entering Morrison Theand congratulations of all kinds
ater. Lord, give Julie the ability
surrounded Julie, along with
to remember the words she
offers to accompany her to Washknows. Give her peace. And if her
ington. One classmate even
story can witness for her faith
offered, Ill marry you if I can go
and trust in You, help her win.
along. But Julie was smarter than
Amen.
that.
The competition started with
What does the Lord have in
73 students, representing 73
store for those who trust Him,
schools in Illinois and Missouri.
love Him, and follow His comBy the end of the second round
mandments? He meets our needs
56 students were left. At the third
and, at times, gives us the desires
round they started into the interof our hearts (Ps. 34:7). What a
mediate-level words. About half
wonderful Lord and Savior!
of the remaining spellers were
eliminated on each subsequent
EPILOGUE
round. By the fth round 15 stuJulie went on to graduate as
dents were left. By this time, Julie Julie and Ryan and their two
valedictorian at Warsaw High
had correctly spelled: punctua- children
School. She then graduated from
tion, prosthesis, intermittent,
Andrews University with a master's degree in physical therapy. She and her husdiminuendo, and rubric. By the sixth round
Julie had correctly spelled effluvium. Only six band, Ryan Price, have two children and live near
contestants remained at the end of the round.
Queen Anne, Maryland, where she works as a
Julie condently spelled malleable and doc- physical therapist and attends the Grasonville
trinaire. By the end of the seventh round, only
Seventh-day Adventist Church.
three students remained.
Lester and Barbara Ramsey, Julies parents, both teachers, live
In the tenth round Julies two male competitors on a small farm near Basco, Illinois. Lester continues to teach
at Brown County High School in Mount Sterling, Illinois.
stumbled on their words; Julie successfully spelled
auger, and wrapped up a win by spelling basilJULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
57
ENGAGE
Classmates urged
Kapalasa Kasempa,
pictured: Just go
to class. God will
understand.
I SKIPPED SABBATH
CLASSES IN RUSSIA
I didnt think it would
be that serious.
Little did I know.
BY KAPALASA KASEMPA
58
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
wo friends warned me that

trouble lay ahead in the
weeks before I left my home
in Zambia to study medicine in
Russia.
Both friends had studied in
Russia and faced erce opposition over their desire to worship
God rather than attend classes
on Sabbath. They cautioned me
that my faith would be tested.
I didnt think it would be that
serious. Little did I know.
The first month passed
smoothly. I arrived in Rostovon-Don in southern Russia for
my rst year of studies, during
which I was to focus on learning
the Russian language. The

teachers didnt seem to require
much from the foreign students,
a group studying on Russian
state scholarships.
But in the second month, one
of my classes began to meet on
Sabbath.
As the first Sabbath class
approached, I went to the
teacher, my heart thumping, to
ask permission to skip it. The
teacher refused and told me that
as a foreign student, I was
obliged to obey the rules of the
land.
I skipped class anyway.
The following Monday the
dean of students at the preparatory department summoned me
to his office and sternly handed
me a letter of warning. Nevertheless, I missed class again the
next Sabbath. I was genuinely
scared about what would happen next. Sure enough, the dean
summoned me again the following Monday.
This pattern continued for several months. Then the dean
decided to change the letter of
warning to a letter of expulsion.
A kind language teacher interceded on my behalf, pleading
with the dean to change his
mind. I prayed about the situation, but Im afraid that I had
little or no faith. I was crying
most of the time. My classmates
urged me: Just go to class. God
will understand.
I spoke with my parents. They
loved me, but they also didnt
want me to lose the scholarship.
I then learned from classmates that foreign students
could transfer to Moscow or
another Russian city that didnt
require classes on Sabbath. I
begged the dean to allow me to
study in Moscow. I also contacted a pastor and

family friend in Zambia, Moses Ziela, and we
prayed together.
To my delight, the dean soon announced that
I could transfer to Moscow. When I told Pastor
Ziela the news, he replied: Im happy for you, but
this wont get any easier. Be strong.
classes, but I was too far behind. Toward the end

of the semester the deans secretary informed me
that I might not be allowed to stay the next semester because of low grades and insubordination.
I cried in her presence. She asked me to reconsider
my faith.
ACRY FOR HELP
FROM BAD TO WORSE
He was right. Things got worse.

The rst day of class at the Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry fell on Sabbath.
I immediately lost all hope, but I determined that
I would not allow Sabbath classes to provide an
excuse to break the Sabbath.
For a while I felt that being enrolled at the university was the worst decision I had ever made.
While I had faced opposition from only the dean
in Rostov-on-Don, in Moscow I experienced open
hostility from student leaders, professors, and my
new dean.
It was difficult for me to explain to the dean
why I chose not to attend classes on Sabbath.
When I rst mentioned the words for religious
reasons, he immediately stormed out of his office.
The pastor of the Moscow International Adventist Church helped me write a letter to the dean
explaining why I couldnt attend lessons on Sabbath and asking for permission to transfer to a
class that met on another day. The pastor told me
that Russian law protects religious freedom and
prayed with me. I felt a new sense of calm.
The following Monday I presented the letter to
the dean. He tossed it in my face.
If you cant abide by our rules, then leave, he
said angrily.
My grades began to suffer. The professor who
taught the Sabbath class wasnt cooperative, and
I found it difficult to catch up with the missed
lessons. One professor heard about my ordeal and
bluntly asked me: What kind of God would want
you to break the rules? If your faith is genuine,
why wont He let you miss church so you can
attend classes now and attend church during
summer vacation?
Midway through the semester the dean summoned me to his office after reviewing the class
records and noticing my continuous absence from
Sabbath classes. He gave me a stern warning.
I renewed my efforts to make up the missed
I needed help presenting my situation to God,

so I explained everything to the Moscow church
pastor and my Sabbath School class. We prayed
together. Then I began to plead my case before
God.
Monday passed without the dean calling me
into his office. Then a week went by. Still no word
came from the dean about whether I would be
expelled.
Three years have gone by since I began to pray
about my Sabbath classes, and Im still waiting to
be summoned by the dean and told that I have to
leave Russia. I am scheduled to graduate in 2018.
God has worked a miracle every day of my studies
in Russia.
One remarkable moment that might help
explain why the dean has left me alone occurred
near the end of that rst semester in Moscow. The
professor who taught the Sabbath classes was
rebuking me for asking to be excused when the
university president happened to walk by. The
president stopped to ask what was wrong, and
the professor rushed to paint a bad picture of me.
The president turned to me and said, Why
wont you attend lessons on Saturday?
Because of my faith, I said cautiously, worried
about what would follow.
Are you a Seventh-day Adventist? the president asked.
Yes, I am, I said, utterly dumbfounded.
I love that church, even though I dont attend,
the president said. I grew up loving and treasuring
its truths and teachings.
I sent up a silent prayer and said, Thats wonderful! Could you sign this consent letter for me
to skip classes?
Sure, the president said. You must realize
that when you are in a foreign land you must abide
by its rules. This Sabbath commandment, however, is a rule above human law.
Kapalasa Kasempa continues to study in Russia.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
59
ENGAGE
YOUR PERSONAL SABBATH

When AR asked you Whats special to you about
Sabbath keeping? heres how you responded:
he Sabbath is for me a special day to meet and
my fellow believers to meet with Jesus. It
reminds me of my reasons to live, to work, and
rest, and glorify our Creator. On Sabbath I never
think of lifes hardships or everyday business.
What appeals to me most is such activities as
visiting the sick, sharing Christ with nonbelievers,
and singing in my church choir. On Sabbath I am
in a new world.
FRANCOIS NDWANIYE, PROFESSOR OF AGRICULTURE
or me, the Sabbath is about being intentional

in focusing on God and His presence in my life.
I take time for quiet reection and plan activities
that are different from things I do on other days
of the week. Its so easy to drift away and forget
how much God does for me, so Im grateful for a
day set aside to specically remember.
earth. For me Sabbath means meeting and praising

the God who is my Creator, and enjoying family
togetherness.
LETICIA DE LOS SANTOS, PASTORS WIFE
hen I celebrate the Sabbath, whether alone or

with my family, Im held captive by two feelings: gratitude, and hope. I look backward with
gratitude, because my Creator and Redeemer is
Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27, 28). I contemplate
the future with hope, because Sabbath rest anticipates the eternal rest that Christ has promised
(Rev. 1:7; 21:4; Isa. 66:22, 23). Whether welcoming
or closing the Sabbath, expressions of praise and
gratitude, along with reection on Bible promises
related to Christs second coming, are essential
elements of our Sabbath celebration.
ABNER DE LOS SANTOS, CHURCH ADMINISTRATOR
SHARON DUDGEON, RADIO STATION MANAGER
or me Sabbath is a time for reconnecting with

family, with fellow believers, and with God. I
cherish the extra hours it affords us for family
worship and conversation. My TGIFs are in anticipation of the fellowship and worship opportunity.
Reconnecting with God and my people on Sabbath is beyond a clich. Its real.
EASTON MARKS, PASTOR
y days are lled with the business of busyness.

Work, family, caring for aging relatives and
friends, volunteering, softball, and music all compete for time on my schedule. The Sabbath is a
weekly pause in my frenetic pace, a time to
recharge, knowing my multiple roles happen
because my Creator blessed me with a skill set,
intellect, and passion to show His love through
my life.
TOLA KINGSBURY EWERS, RESEARCHER
ve enjoyed Sabbathkeeping from my childhood.

On Friday the aroma of a clean house and special
food that our family would enjoy together were
part of the preparation for welcoming the Lords
day. All our regular daily activities came to a halt.
We sang, prayed, and recited favorite texts. Since
I established my own home the Sabbath has continued to be a day for togetherness with God and
family, remembering Bible texts, and singing
praises to the God who made the heavens and the
60
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
abbath is special because it represents a day of

liberation. I view the Sabbath as a day where I
can be free from the stresses of the week and be
at peace in every sense. One unique thing I do
before Sabbath on Friday afternoons is to text my
close friend from back home, with an acronym
TGIAS (Thank God Its Almost Sabbath). Before
either of us were baptized, we always joked about
how our mood on Friday afternoons was usually
TGIF . So now we text each other as a reminder

of something much better to look forward to than
just a weekend break.
JONATHAN BLANCO, DOCTORAL STUDENT
abbathkeeping is special to me because every

single week the usual grind stops and a change
takes place in both me and my husband. In addition to not engaging in secular activities, we avoid
even discussing stressful topics. Heaven feels
closer on Sabbath. God feels closer on Sabbath.
look forward to the Sabbath and worshipping

God with other believers. It is a double blessing
to teach the lesson, to be a guest speaker, or to do
music when needed. I have such a sense of peace
and security when I sit with my wife and family
together in Gods house. God is good!
MARK TRETHEWEY, MECHANICAL ENGINEER
he Sabbath is my joy! Its a day I look forward

to every week with earnest longing. Despite any
anxiety or sorrows I may have, they are lifted as I
rest in the embrace of the Prince of Peace.
hen I think of Sabbath, I am ooded with a

lifetime of memories:
Sabbath socks, Sabbath songs, and Sabbath
School,
Sermons, twist curls, and fanning,
Family, food, friends, and happy chatter,
Sweet sleep, Communion, and being
reminded to Remember
To keep this heavens foretaste holy.
KAHLILIA BLANCO, NEUROSCIENTIST
RUTH WILLIAMS, COLLEGE PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR
abbath is joy, a time of joyful remembrance of

whose I am. I cherish the Sabbath hours, when
I am reminded that there is more to life than what
I encounter day to day. Jesus is coming again,
which means I can keep my eyes looking above,
knowing that the best is yet to come. Sabbath
brings forth the joyful remembrance of our Creators love
CHLOE MURNIGHAN, PASTORS WIFE
ADRIENNE TOWNSEND BENTON, NAVY CHAPLAIN
hen I was a child, Sabbath was ushered in with

the smell of freshly baked goodies. Back then
it was the time for clean linens, dust-free furniture,
polished shoes, Bible games, singing together (lots
of singing), and hours of fellowship. In our home
we sing together, listen to music or sermons, share
stories of Gods goodness throughout the week,
talk about what Sabbath in heaven would be like,
go for walks, and visit sick or shut-in friends.
LUCY RANDALL, SOCIAL WORKER
he Sabbath is hope, peace, stability, and rest all

wrapped in one package. Entering into the Sabbath is delightful relief from the cares of this
world. We enjoy worshipping our heavenly Father,
receiving refreshment from His presence and
fellowship with our brothers and sister in Christ.
THERON BENTON, HOTEL EMPLOYEE
he Sabbath experience is like no other! It gives

me the opportunity to joyfully serve, yet truly
have rest in Christ after a challenging workweek.
The Sabbath is a weekly reminder of my matchless
Creator and Savior. In the words of a song I learned
as a child, Sabbath is a happy day, happy day,
happy day. . . . I love every Sabbath!
ROYCELYN MENTOR-MARCEL, RESEARCH SCIENTIST
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
61
ENGAGE
CLOSERLOOK
BEYONDTHE SEARCH
Film Series Review
BY ANDR BRINK
he Beyondthe Search documentary series

explores some of lifes biggest questions,
including: Why do we have pain and suffering? What happens when we die? The series
tells an epic story that gives new perspective to a
world in crisis.
Filmed across Europe, Africa, Asia, the Americas,
and the Pacic, Beyondthe Search has won 15
international lm awards, and
was selected by the United
Nations for the Global Wake-up
lm festival.
The series features three presenters: Geoff Youlden, Dannielle
Synot, and Johnny Murison, who
travel the globe to nd stories
that give evidence to the biblical
worldview. The 14-part series
includes interesting interviews,
original news footage, reenacted
dramatic sequences, and excellent storytelling, making use of
the documentary genre. The cinematography is of a very high
standard, and the episodes are fast-moving and

compelling.
The original music score was composed by
BAFTA winner and EmmyAward-nominated
Michael Price, and includes nine original songs
by various songwriters from around the world.
One of the episodes, Beyond Lost: The Search for
Rescue, features a thrilling story about miners
trapped underground, as well as adventurer Dom
Mee, lost in a storm in the Atlantic.
Yet another episode, Beyond Warning: The Search
for Safety, tells the fascinating story of the eruption
of Mount St. Helens, and how we so often do not
heed warning signs.
Funded by the Seventh-day Adventist Church,
THERES MORE TO JESUS
he better part of valor leads Shawn Brace

to hold back, until his epilogue, what he
might quite zealously have unleashed on
his deserving readership from the beginning.
Instead, Braces introductory remarks arrive
through a guest-written foreword whose author
is identied only by the signature at the end of his
62
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
Coming soon
oon at
AdventistReview.org/ARtv.
rg/ARtv.
piece. Squandered purchase! Brace fails to exploit

the market value of this alternative cover: Theres
More to Jesus, with a foreword by Dwight Nelson,
Pioneer Memorial Church, Andrews University.
More, Brace might have included his own humble
prelude detailing his indebtedness and expounding on his gratitude to his former professor. It
would all have been quite credible.
But the credibility Nelson and Brace pursue is
thoroughly unrelated to market advantage. What
they crave for us is holy re, kindled in our bosom
as it once was more than 130 years ago in the
bosom of a young doctor under a rain-drenched
tent at a California camp meeting in 1882. It
changed his world. It is still changing lives.
Nelson and Brace share this book because they
crave for us what God gave that youth, and what
He has given them. They want us to catch the
vision of the fullness of Christ that shines out of
the 181 pages this book. What Nelson saw, reading
Braces 22 chapters, on Jesus the Lover, Creator,
Covenant-Keeper, Liberator, Judge, and all the rest,
so revolutionized Nelson himself that now his one
prayer for readers is that we too choose to embrace
this vision of the fullness of Christ (p. viii).
and produced
p
at the Adventist Media Network
Studios in Sydney, Australia, the series is
S
now available as an evangelistic tool
worldwide. The DVD box set contains 14
half-hour documentary episodes and more
tthan 12 hours of additional content for use in
small-group discussions. Additional study
sm
resources include a 24-part study guide, two comre
panion books, SeeBeyond and StepBeyond, and the
p
musical sound track. The series is available in
English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese.
For more information, and to watch the series
trailer, visit www.beyond.info.
Andr Brink is digital media director for Adventist Review.
And theres the catch: weve heard all this

before, and often, about needing the re-tried
gold, white raiment, and eyesalve so we can see
and experience and reveal the full beauty of truth
as it is in Jesus. Every Laodicean has heard all this
many times before. So whats new about Brace
extolling all of Scripture, Christ alone, and all
of Christ?
Its at least 500 Reformation years old. Precisely
Braces point, made at the end. Its his altar call:
hearing gospel truth and nding gospel in our
history is not unusual for Seventh-day Adventist
theology, he says.
But we know that something is still missing:
earth is not yet ablaze with the glory predicted in
Revelation 18. Brace doesnt claim to have all the
answers. What he does share is worth every minute of your reading. Youll thank him and thank
God for the sanctifying blessing of this book that
draws you tightly close to Jesus.
Theres More to Jesus: Encountering the Fullness of
Christ in Adventism, published by Signs Publishing,
Victoria, Australia, is available through inverity.org.
Lael Caesar is an associate editor of Adventist Review.
JULY 2016
ADVENTIST REVIEW
63
IN
OTHER
WORDS
BY STEPHEN CHAVEZ
I Am Not Afraid
s someone who spends a fair amount
of time in airports, the news of the
March terrorist attack on the airport
in Brussels gave me pause. I could easily
imagine the lives of scores of travelers
horrically interrupted by a violence
inspired by religious extremism and
designed to incite fear.
Then it occurred to me that airports
arent the only targets for such acts of
terror. People shopping at a mall, eating
at a caf, attending prayer meeting, driving on an interstate, or participating in
an office workshop are also targets.
Some want to capitalize on
the paranoia inspired by these
incidents to brand whole categories of people, using words
ITS A GREAT
such as always and never to
MISTAKE TO PAINT
describe countless others who
want nothing more than to live
ALL PEOPLE WITH
peaceful lives and raise families
THE SAME BRUSH.
in security.
In fact, these others pose
less of a threat than the homegrown bigots who spout hatred
and promote fear-mongering on their
posts, tweets, and Internet sites.
Our societylocal, national, and
globalhas never been more fractured.
Voices of reason are increasingly drowned
out by those whose ignorance is matched
only by the volume of their rhetoric and
the navet of their proposed solutions.
In describing the signs of His second
coming, Jesus warned His disciples:
Because of the increase of wickedness,
the love of most will grow cold (Matt.
24:12). Into this environment we are
called to be Christs disciples. Our man-
64
ADVENTIST REVIEW
JULY 2016
date is not simply to join the chorus of

people making blanket condemnations
based on race, religion, creed, or nationality. We are called to model cooperation,
conversation, and inclusion.
By this everyone will know that you
are my disciples, said Jesus, if you love
one another (John 13:35). And while its
easy (relatively) to love people who look
like us, worship like us, and have the
same values we have, Christs gospel challenges us to love even those who are
unlike us.
Indeed, in Matthew 5 part of Jesus
description of what it means to be perfect
includes these words: Love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you
(verse 44).
Most people seek to be honorable,
trustworthy persons. The aftermath of
any natural or human disaster always
sees an outpouring of material and emotional support. Strangers often come to
the aid of those in peril. Its a great mistake to paint all people with the same
brush.
The likelihood of being harmed by a
foreign or domestic terrorist is less than
being struck by lightning or attacked by
a shark. Still, we live in perilous times,
and we should take every precaution. But
bigotry, fear-mongering, and prejudice
are unwelcome weapons in our efforts to
reect Christs character.
Those of us who take seriously Christs
gospel commission cannot afford to be
afraid. We just dont have the time to be
afraid.
Stephen Chavez is an assistant editor of Adventist
Review.
Revolutionize
your health
ministry with
Outsmart diabetes
or pre diabetes in
9 simple steps!
Join Dr Wes Youngberg,
author of Goodbye Diabetes,
and Brenda Davis, registered
dietitian and bestselling author,
as they guide your group
through a hope-filled journey
to reclaim their health.
Participants will:
What is included:
Coordinator
8 sessions of expert-driven, dynamic video content
Facilitator manual and training resources
Marketing materials
Participants
Course Workbook
Diabetes Edition Cookbook with 92+ recipes
Workshop code for homework & review
Learn how the cause of

diabetes determines its cure
Outsmart genetic risk through
the power of epigenetics
Only $99 to register your group today!
Hack blood sugar with this

one after-meal secret
Spanish subtitles included for the course
diabetesundone.com/groups

Adventist Review August 2016

Transféré par

Informations du document

Titre original

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Adventist Review August 2016

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

ADVENTISTREVIEW.

JULY 2016: MAKING SABBATH A DELIGHT + THE PACKAGE

SABBATH IS A _____ DAY.

Photo of Maligne Lake in Alberta, Canada, by Adam Littell.

Each month well feature a reader-submitted photo or painting. Submission

24/7 | GERALD A. KLINGBEIL

MAKING SABBATH A HAPPY DAY

| MAY ELLEN COLN

For millennia, rabbis, pastors, parents, children,

48 MAKING SABBATH A DELIGHT

Our children will love the

Selessness is the economy

Does our technology need to

Breathing: the life-giving

The Sabbath isnt just a day;

Loma Linda Breaks Ground

Fred Thomas, Pastor

and Administrator, Dies

Ted Wilsons First

The professors werent happy,

43 SEARCHING THE OBVIOUS

51 THE LIFE OF FAITH

THE MOST-SHARED STORIES ON ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG:

Magic Johnson Shows Gratitude to

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

School of Graduate and Professional Studies

Alisa Andrade, Graduate

Fast Track Applications Apply Now!

Repairers of the Breach

able dress shoes, and (quietly)

Keeping Sabbath holy must

you a stranger and welcomed you,

Management, but will remain a

summer of 1971, when he turned

We have greatly improved taking care of our

are on the increase. Could it be

We welcome your letters, noting, as always, that inclusion of a letter in this

LATEST NEWS AT ADVENTISTREVIEW.ORG

EVANGELIST C. D. BROOKS SUCCUMBS TO CANCER

Seventh-day Adventist church

pastor Debleaire Snell called her

has a population of about 180,000,

reach out to the community. It made

vehicles to continue to do His works.

TeeAdrienne Ross, a single mother

FIRST CHURCH SEEKS NEW WAYS TO CARE

Magic Johnson accepting an award from Carlton

MAGIC JOHNSON THANKS

ADRA GETS EUROPE DIRECTOR

He said the scholarships were

summit in early 2016.

LOMA LINDA BREAKS GROUND

NAD PREPARES FOR MOVE

potentially catastrophic magnitude

the General Conference in

THEY SEEK TO BECOME MORE PRACTICAL

ith religious intolerance growing in Brazil, about 500

800 BAPTIZED IN PNG

Future, were held in the

THE ADVENTIST CHURCH brought together advocacy organizations and

Fred G. Thomas and his

was reected in one of his personal

remarkable way for three generations, Ng said.